NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Allowances

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much members of his departmental management board have claimed in expenses since May 2010.

Owen Paterson: The Department publishes senior staff business expenses on a quarterly basis on its website within the publication section. This includes reimbursable expenses as well as those paid directly by the Department on behalf of the Director General and the non-executive director. The website address is:
	www.nio.gov.uk
	The following table summarises for all other members of the departmental management board reimbursable expenses since May 2010. For reasons of security it is departmental policy not to disclose the names of deputy directors.
	
		
			 Name of board member Amount (£) 
			 Deputy Director of Constitution and Political Group 5,891 
			 Deputy Director of Constitution and Political Group 1,419 
			 Deputy Director of Security and Legacy Group 831 
			 Deputy Director of Security and Legacy Group 4,386 
			 Deputy Director of Business Delivery Group 758 
			 Director of Communications 4,161 
		
	
	For the sake of completeness we have included in the following table those who are no longer in the Department but were members of the departmental management board for part of this period:
	
		
			 Name of board member Amount (£) 
			 Deputy Director of Security and Legacy Group 6,007 
			 Deputy Director of Security and Legacy Group 89

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Owen Paterson: As my contribution to the One Day Challenge my wife and I competed in the Mongol Derby from 6 to 16 August 2011. Our participation in this 1,000 km+ multi-horse race across the Mongolian steppe has to date raised over £68,000 for the Royal Irish Regiment Benevolent Fund, the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust Charity and Mercy Corps Mongolia. The hon. Member is invited to make a donation, if he so wishes, at:
	http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/patersonsmongolderby
	The Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has yet to complete his One Day Challenge but hopes to do so before the end of the year. At a conference on the big society in Belfast on 14 October 2011 at which he was the keynote speaker, he referred to the One Day Challenge and asked for those present to come forward with suggestions for a suitable project with which the Northern Ireland Office could become involved.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

David Mundell: All Government Ministers have pledged to undertake a ‘one day challenge’ with a charity or community group of their choosing. This is a clear and public commitment by Ministers to give their time to help others. The pledge aims to inspire others to consider how they might be able to support their communities to benefit themselves, as well as their chosen organisations.

National Insurance Contributions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of jobs created in each (a) Scottish local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in Scotland as a result of the partial exemption in national insurance contributions for new employees.

David Mundell: A breakdown of the number of jobs that have been supported by the NICs holiday, by region and constituency, will be published in the NICs Holiday Factsheet in the House of Commons Library in the autumn. A breakdown by local authority is currently not available.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to encourage local authorities to provide more land for allotments.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are working with voluntary and community sector organisations, including the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Allotment Regeneration Initiative and the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners to promote the importance of allotments and to encourage local authorities to make allotment land available. The Federation of City Farms have been investigating the potential for a community land advisory service to assist in the transfer of ownership and/or control of land from public or private landowners to community groups through purchase/sale or leasing. A business case is under development.
	In addition, there are a number of other measures that we are taking forward, including measures in the Localism Bill, that will enable local people who are interested in food growing and cultivation to play a bigger role in planning, designing, managing and maintaining community green spaces for this purpose.
	‘The Community Right to Reclaim Land’ will help communities to find space for food growing by making information about land owned by public bodies more easily available and help to ensure that under-used or unused land owned by public bodies and some other organisations is brought back into beneficial use.
	Under proposals for the ‘National Planning Policy Framework’ local communities can protect the environmental and cultural landscapes they value. They will be able, through their local and neighbourhood plans, to identify, for special protection, green areas of particular significance to them. This local significance could be because of the green area’s beauty, historic importance, recreational value (including land used for allotments where it is not already protected by allotment legislation), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife. By designating land as local green space, local communities will be able to rule out new development other than in very special circumstances. Full public consultation on the draft framework was launched on 25 July and closed on 17 October.
	We are also looking at whether meanwhile leases for land could be used to provide community groups with a temporary space to grow. Locality, formerly the Development Trusts Associations, has developed model leases at:
	http://www.meanwhile.org.uk/useful-info/view/legal
	that can be used by landowners and communities to make use of land on a temporary basis (e.g. land set aside for a specific purpose but where the land is not currently being utilised to that effect).
	Alongside the “How to” guide that my Department published at the end of August, providing advice for communities interested in creating or cultivating community orchards at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/newsroom/1973439
	we will be developing a similar guide for individuals and communities interested in finding and developing space for food growing.
	Guidance on managing existing plots better, for example, reducing plot sizes and taking action in cases where plots are not being cultivated, is available to local authorities via “A Place to Grow” available on the LGA website at:
	www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication-display.do?id=9027596

Allotments

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of time was for an application to rent an allotment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: Records of allotment provision or the average time someone has to spend on a waiting list are not held at a national level. This is a matter for individual local authorities.
	Research produced by the university of Derby in 2006, based on a partial survey of local authorities, reported that in the period 1996 to 2006, the number of allotment plots fell by 50,630. The report, commissioned but unpublished by the previous Government, was posted up on the DCLG website on 6 May at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1897047.pdf
	Recent indications are however that the tide is turning. The number of allotment disposal cases has reduced significantly from 57 in 2005 to 15 last year. In addition, the National Society of Allotment and Leisure report that in certain areas of the country significant progress has been made in providing more land to meet demand for allotments, for instance, 52 new allotments sites have been created in the south west within the last year alone. Increasingly, councils are providing extra plots through bringing into use extra plots on existing sites, by extending existing sites or splitting plots in half as they become vacant to help meet demand. These practices are very much in keeping with the recommendations set out in the DCLG/Local Government Association guidance to local authorities in “A Place to Grow”, which can be found at:
	www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication-display.do?id=9027596
	Surveys undertaken by West Kirby Transition Town in conjunction with the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners show waiting lists for allotments have grown considerably. The latest survey results published on 6 May 2011 estimated that around 87,000 people are on waiting lists for just over 152,000 statutory plots managed by principal local authorities (not including those run by parish or town councils or allotment associations). This equates to 57 people waiting for every 100 plots. In 1996 there was an average of four people waiting for every 100 plots.
	New neighbourhood planning provisions being introduced in the Localism Bill will provide communities with a means to boost the number of sites with powers to protect existing allotments and identify new plots. In addition, requirements for councils to provide allotments will be safeguarded as part of a wider review into reducing statutory burdens on local authorities.
	The above information was covered in a news release issued by the Department on 7 May, available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1897155

Allotments

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many allotments there are in England; and how many acres were used for allotments in (a) 1981, (b) 1990, (c) 2000 and (d) 2010.

Andrew Stunell: Information on the number of allotments in England and the amount of land used for allotments is not held by central Government.
	The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners estimate that there are approximately 300,000 allotments in England.

Arm's Length Management Organisations

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the revised guidance issued to local authorities on the process to follow when it is proposed to bring housing management under direct council control and abolish an arm's length management organisation.

Andrew Stunell: The Department will issue guidance for councils considering the future of their arm’s length management organisations and housing management services as part of the Housing Strategy which will be published in due course.

Arm's Length Management Organisations

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has any plans to require arm's length management organisations to become housing associations.

Andrew Stunell: The Department will set out its thinking on any stock transfer to housing associations in the Housing Strategy which will be published in due course. We will listen to views across the housing sector to ensure that social housing is well managed and resourced and remains relevant in a changing world.

Council Tax

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the average saving to a household in each council tax band of the council tax freeze in 2012-13.

Bob Neill: holding answer 12 October 2011
	The average saving to a household in each council tax band should authorities choose to freeze their council tax in 2012-13 would be as follows:
	
		
			 Band £ 
			 A 48 
			 B 56 
			 C 64 
			 D 72 
			 E 88 
			 F 104 
			 G 120 
			 H 144 
		
	
	This assumes there would have been an average increase by each authority of 5%.
	The average savings from the freeze are a simple reflection of the council tax bands, with higher banded homes paying more council tax.
	I would note under the last Government, from 1997 to 2010, council tax bills more than doubled—across all council tax bands. This hit pensioners and others on fixed incomes the hardest. Correspondingly, the coalition Government's grant scheme to help local authorities to freeze council tax this year and next will provide significant help to those council taxpayers on low and fixed incomes.

Council Tax

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to his recent announcement on the effects of freezing council tax, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's financial assessment on which he based his assumption of a five per cent. increase in council tax if no support were made available;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the financial assessment on which he based his calculation that support to local authorities to help freeze council tax would save an average Band D council taxpayer £72.

Bob Neill: The figure of a saving of up to £72 is compared to an assumed rise of 5% in average council tax bills. This has been calculated based on an average Band D council tax figure for 2011-12 of £1,439, as published in the Council Tax Levels statistical release which can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1870215.pdf
	A rise of 5% reflects the typical council tax level capping threshold adopted by the last Administration in recent years (2005-06: 5.5%; 2006-07: 5.0%; 2008-09: 5.0%; 2009-10: 5.0%; 2010-11: 4.5%).
	The average annual rise in council tax under the last Administration was 5.9%.

Council Tax

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the likely council tax increase in each local authority if no support to freeze council tax was made available.

Bob Neill: Levels of council tax are a matter for individual local authorities to decide.
	I would note that under the last administration council tax rose by an average of 5.9% a year, with rises in one year as high as 12.9%.
	In addition to working with councils to freeze council tax for two years, this Government are giving local taxpayers new powers to veto excessive council tax rises.

Council Tax Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total cost to the public purse was of meeting the cost of council tax benefit in each year from 2007-08 to 2011-12 to date; what estimate he has made of the cost of its successor benefit in each year from 2012-13 to 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table provides the total amount of council tax benefit paid out to beneficiaries up to 2010-11, and then forecast expenditure to 2012-13.
	
		
			 Council tax benefit 
			  Total expenditure (£ million) 
			 2007-08 out-turn 4,027 
			 2008-09 out-turn 4,234 
			 2009-10 out-turn 4,698 
			 2010-11 out-turn 4,925 
			 2011-12 forecast 4,906 
			 2012-13 forecast 4,943 
			 Source: Local authority subsidy returns, 2007-08 to 2010-11, Budget 2011 expenditure forecasts 2011-12 to 2012-13, available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/all_tables_budget_2011_2.xls http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/h_tables_budget2011.xls 
		
	
	There are no firm cost estimates of the successor benefits to council tax benefit. However, on the basis of existing policy, with an assumed 10% reduction in expenditure at the time of localisation in 2013-14, the OBR’s March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook forecasts spending to be as follows:
	
		
			 Council tax benefit successor (after localisation) 
			  Total expenditure (£ million) 
			 2013-14 forecast 4,438 
			 2014-15 forecast 4,444 
			 Source: Budget 2011 expenditure forecasts. 
		
	
	Figures ‘include’ both benefit spending reimbursed by DWP and the spending financed by local authorities, but ‘excludes’ reimbursement to local authorities in respect of their administration of council tax benefit, as this information is unavailable.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations (i) Ministers and (ii) senior officials in his Department have spoken in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Details of keynote ministerial speeches are available on the Department's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom/articlesandspeeches/
	A comprehensive list of all speaking engagements undertaken by Ministers and senior officials since May 2010 is not held centrally and to assemble the information would entail disproportionate cost.

Derelict Land

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage the development of brownfield sites.

Bob Neill: On 5 October 2011, my Department outlined plans to release formerly-used land and property with enough capacity to build up to 100,000 new homes by 2015. To get development moving, we will be looking to extend the use of build now, pay later models—meaning developers do not have to find the money upfront for the land but can pay as the development gets underway, or homes are sold. This will help tackle cash flow problems which can act as a barrier to house building.
	In September 2011, we announced £100 million of funding to bring empty homes that blight neighbourhoods back into use. This complements the new homes bonus which also rewards the reuse of long-term empty homes.
	In May 2011, we announced a £30 million contribution towards locally-led schemes to improve the former housing market renewal pathfinder areas. In many locations, the Whitehall programme created blighted areas and abandoned streets.
	In February 2011, we outlined plans for a new community right to reclaim land which will help communities to improve their local area by making information about land owned by public bodies more easily available. It will also help to ensure that underused or unused land owned by public bodies and some other organisations is brought back into beneficial use.
	In June 2010, we amended Whitehall planning guidance to take residential gardens out of the definition of brownfield land. This allows councils to focus development on genuine brownfield land and protect the character of residential neighbourhoods.
	In July 2011 j we published a draft new National Planning Policy Framework. The draft asks local authorities to prioritise land of least environmental or amenity value for development. The term “of least environmental or amenity value” rather than “brownfield” was used because in some cases, previously developed land can be rich in wildlife and much valued by local communities. The consultation has closed and we are carefully considering all of the submissions that have been made and will then publish the revised text.
	My department is also supporting the Olympic legacy, driving renewal and regeneration in East London, replacing over 740 acres of polluted, low-grade industrial land and premises with new sports and community facilities, parks, homes, shops and transport infrastructure.

Enterprise Zones

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures are in place to assist the economies of local authority areas not selected as enterprise zones.

Greg Clark: DCLG officials are working closely with those local enterprise partnerships that have asked for support in driving forward local growth following an unsuccessful bid for an enterprise zone.
	There are many mechanisms that local enterprise partnerships can draw upon to promote economic development. For example, local authorities can already simplify the approach to planning through local development orders and put in place super fast broadband, working with Broadband Delivery UK. Subject to the passage of the Localism Bill, authorities will be able to grant local business rate discounts from April 2012. And the Government are currently consulting on the local retention of business rates, as well as proposals for tax increment finance, both of which have the potential to provide funding to develop infrastructure.
	The coalition Government have a number of policies and schemes in place to help promote local economic growth and regeneration, including the Growing Places Fund, the Regional Growth Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, the Work programme and the Olympics legacy. A more detailed list is outlined in ‘The Plan for Growth’ (March 2011).

Enterprise Zones: Lee-on-the-Solent

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether existing sector-appropriate tenants of the Daedalus Enterprise Zone site will receive the same benefits from the zone as new businesses that choose to set up there.

Greg Clark: [holding answer 24 October 2011: All businesses in an Enterprise Zone will be eligible for a 100% business rate discount, worth up to £275,000 over a five-year period, provided they are operating from the Enterprise Zone during the course of this Parliament. These discounts will be provided up to levels permitted by state aid requirements.

Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the average proportion of social housing is in each decile of wards ranked by the index of multiple deprivation;
	(2)  what the average proportion of households that owned their homes was in each decile of wards ranked by the index of multiple deprivation.

Andrew Stunell: The table shows housing stock by tenure for deciles of local authorities ranked by their average rating by the index of multiple deprivation.
	The table is at local authority level and in terms of housing stock not households as it is based on the most recently available data. It is not possible at local authority level to divide ‘privately owned’ dwellings into ‘owner occupied’ and ‘private rented’.
	
		
			  Number of dwellings Percentage of total housing stock 
			 Decile  (1)   of districts Social housing stock  (2) Private housing stock  (3) Total housing stock Social housing stock  (2) Private housing stock Total housing stock 
			 1 170,069 1,330,679 1,500,748 11 89 100 
			 2 215,031 1,465,245 1,680,276 13 87 100 
			 3 222,820 1,507,684 1,730,504 13 87 100 
			 4 227,453 1,592,329 1,819,782 12 88 100 
			 5 306,749 1,825,645 2,132,394 14 86 100 
			 6 257,692 1,638,107 1,895,799 14 86 100 
			 7 410,677 2,105,656 2,516,333 16 84 100 
			 8 538,451 2,162,775 2,701,226 20 80 100 
			 9 695,306 2,463,082 3,158,388 22 78 100 
			 10 984,836 2,572,631 3,557,467 28 72 100 
			 (1) One is the least deprived 10% of local authority districts, 10 is the most deprived 10%. Local authorities are given an average score based on the multiple deprivation measures weighted by population for 'census areas' within their boundaries. (2) Figures for social housing stock include both self-contained dwellings and bedspaces from the housing association tenure. (3) Includes 'own occupied' and 'private rented'. Sources: 1. “DCLG live table 100”: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/ 2. “Indices of Deprivation 2010, Local Authority District Summaries, deciles based on the 'Average of LSOA ranks'”: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1871689.xls

Housing: Planning

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to reach a decision on Planning Appeal APP/A1530/H/11/2140255, Middleborough, Colchester; and if he will make a statement on the time taken in considering and determining that appeal.

Bob Neill: I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to Advertisement Appeal APP/A1530/H/11/2149255 which relates to a Discontinuance Notice Advertisement Appeal in Colchester. The appeal was submitted on 14 March 2011, had a Site Visit on 18 October 2011, and a decision was issued shortly thereafter on 21 October.
	Advertisement Appeals do not have any statutorily defined decision time scale. Wherever possible, the Planning Inspectorate follows the same time scale as it does for Planning Appeals. It aims to issue 80% of Written Representations decisions within 16 weeks of receipt and 80% of Hearing decisions within 22 weeks. In this case the time taken to reach the site visit stage was longer than anticipated as there was no appropriately qualified inspector with immediate availability to start the case.
	As at the end of August this year, 67% of decisions on Written Representations advertisement appeal decisions have been issued within 16 weeks of the start of the process, and 98% of those following the Hearing procedure have been issued within 22 weeks. Cases take longer than target times for reasons that include the complexity of the issues involved, where important circumstances relevant to the appeal change during the time the appeal is with the Inspectorate and the need to ensure that the case is dealt with by an inspector at an appropriate level of qualification and cost.

Local Government: Trade Unions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the use of (a) facilities, (b) resources and (c) staffing time for trade union duties and activities.

Bob Neill: Over the last year, the issue of taxpayer-funded trade union officials has attracted significant parliamentary and public scrutiny.
	The TUC have estimated that there are 200,000 union representatives in workplaces across the United Kingdom. Information on the amounts spent on paid time off or the provision of facilities for trade union officials in the public sector is not widely recorded or transparent.
	Notwithstanding, I note the Taxpayers' Alliance published a survey of public authorities' employment of trade union officials in September 2010;
	http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/campaign/2010/09/new-tpa-research-taxpayers-fund-trade-unions-to-the-tune-of-85-million-a-year.html
	and the Sunday Telegraph published its own survey in October 2011:
	http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8815280/Taxpayers-pick-up-68m-bill-for-thousands-of-union-reps.html
	Estimates have suggested that so-called “facility time” is more prevalent in the civil service than the rest of the public sector and the private sector, with civil service departments spending, on average, 0.2% of annual pay bill on facility time, compared to 0.14% in the wider public sector and 0.04% in the private sector.
	Statute does not specify how much time employees should be granted to work on trade union duties beyond ‘that which is reasonable’. It is clear that the public sector gives more than the level considered reasonable by other employers.
	Such facility time agreements are not legally enforceable, and can be amended or terminated on notice.
	Employment decisions are a matter for local determination by councils. Yet at a time when all local authorities need to make sensible savings to protect front line services, councillors should review the merits of union officials funded by the taxpayer and the provision of the office facilities to trade unions. We would actively encourage local authorities to reduce the amount of facility time to the norm of private sector levels. A number of councils are already undertaking such reviews.
	In due course, the Cabinet Office will be producing a policy paper on how facility time can be reformed and reduced in the civil service. Further to this, the Department for Communities and Local Government will provide assistance and guidance to local councils to help inform their own reviews.
	The new Transparency Code for local government will also help ensure that cash payments to trade unions and the titles of staff posts in local government are open to greater public scrutiny.

Planning Permission

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the National Ecosystem Assessment of the value of local ecosystem services would be taken into account as a material consideration in a planning application under the guidance of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: Case law has determined that, to be material, a consideration must relate to the development and use of land, and to the particular development for which planning permission is being sought These are the tests which decision makers will apply in determining whether the National Ecosystem Assessment or any other issue is material to a particular application.

Social Mobility

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what step his Department is taking to improve social mobility; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: As the social mobility strategy sets out, fairness is a fundamental value of the coalition Government. The strategy aims to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
	The Government's social mobility strategy aims to tackle unfairness at every stage of life with specific measures to improve social mobility from the foundation years to school and adulthood. The strategy takes a long-term view and recognizes that this is not just a task for Government. Our whole society has a part to play.
	My Department has a particular contribution to the social mobility strategy in setting out how housing can play a crucial role in improving social mobility through improving affordability for those wishing to realize their aspirations of home ownership and making the rented sector more flexible through providing more tenure choice and increasing incentives and opportunities for social renters to move to look for work.
	The forthcoming housing strategy will set out how our housing reforms can further support the goals set out above.

TREASURY

Business: Bonds

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential for growth in the market for bonds issued by small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Hoban: The Government believe that there is the potential for greater use of bond issuance by small and mid-sized companies in the UK. The CBI and other organisations have also suggested that bond markets could be accessed more by this group. The Government are continuing to work with stakeholders to assess the potential to encourage and develop the growth of this market.

Business: Debts

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of underwriting debt or equity issued by small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Hoban: HM Treasury is currently considering a range of options for credit easing as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on 3 October 2011. The Chancellor will provide more details regarding credit easing at the autumn statement on 29 November.

Child Tax Credit

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of main carers claiming child tax credit in respect of couples out of work were (a) men and (b) women at the latest period for which information is available.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.

Debit Charges: Fees and Charges

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to respond to the report by the Office of Fair Trading on card surcharges.

Mark Hoban: The Government are considering the Office of Fair Trading's recommendations and will respond in due course.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Equitable Life compensation payments had been made by 30 September 2011; what assessment he has made of performance against the original timetable for payments; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The scheme began making payments as planned on 30 June and hundreds of payments have been paid to date. Payment volumes will continue to be ramped up over the coming months as the scheme's complex payment processes are refined further.
	The Government set out at the spending review in October last year that £500 million was available to make payments to policyholders in 2011-12, £300 million in 2012-13 and £200 million in 2013-14. We are making good progress towards delivering these payments to policyholders.

European Fighter Aircraft

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether his Department undertook an impact assessment on the likely effects on (a) employment and (b) the economy of a slow-down in orders for tranche 3A of Eurofighter; and when any such assessment was made;
	(2)  whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have discussed a slow-down in orders for tranche 3A of Eurofighter with representatives of (i) BAE Systems and (ii) staff employed by BAE Systems;
	(3)  whether (a) he and (b) his officials held discussions with (i) the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and (ii) officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the likely effect of changes in orders for tranche 3A of the Eurofighter on levels of employment; and when any such discussions took place;
	(4)  what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with their counterparts from partner core nations on the likely effects of a slow-down in tranche 3A of Eurofighter on (i) employment and (ii) the economy.

Danny Alexander: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 965W, and to the answer the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), gave him on 17 October 2011, Official Report, columns 600-01W.

Financial Services: Regulation

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further proposals he plans to bring forward to protect consumers from mis-selling by independent financial advisers; and whether he intends to provide guidance to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme administrator on the timely resolution of claims.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Services Authority's (FSA) Retail Distribution Review (RDR) aims to address structural problems in the retail investment market which can lead to mis-selling. The RDR will come into effect at the end of 2012.
	More generally, the Government's Financial Services Bill will provide the framework for more focused and proactive regulation of firms' conduct under the new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
	The FSA sets down the rules under which the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) operates. The day-to-day operations of the FSCS are independent from Government control and influence.

Fiscal Policy

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures are being reviewed by the Office for Tax Simplification.

David Gauke: The OTS is currently carrying out reviews into small business taxation, pensioner taxation and employee share schemes. It will publish reports into each of these areas by Budget 2012.

Income Tax: Females

Amber Rudd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those taken out of tax as a result of the increase in the personal allowance were women in 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the figures for 2012-13.

David Gauke: holding answer 21 October 2011
	Personal allowances for those aged under 65 have increased by £1,000 in 2011-12 to £7,475. As a result, the Government estimates that in 2011-12 830,000 taxpayers will be removed from income tax, of which 490,000 (59%) are female.
	Personal allowances for those aged under 65 will increase by a further £630 in 2012-13 to £8,105. As a result, the Government estimates that in 2012-13 260,000 taxpayers will be removed from income tax, of which 146,000 (56%) are female.
	These estimates are Budget 2011 estimates based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many staff in HM Revenue and Customs have been assigned to conduct the review into revenue generated by the 50p tax rate;
	(2)  whether the Office for Budget Responsibility will have a role in (a) conducting, (b) advising and (c) reviewing the outcomes of the review into revenue generated by the 50p tax rate;
	(3)  which sections in his Department will be responsible for conducting the review into revenue generated by the 50p tax rate;
	(4)  whether he has consulted with (a) the Office of Budget Responsibility and (b) others on the methodology for reviewing the revenue generated by the 50p tax rate;
	(5)  what progress he has made in measuring the revenues to the Exchequer generated by the 50p tax rate.

David Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), has asked HM Revenue and Customs to assess the revenue from the 50% rate of income tax. As I outlined in debate on the 2011 Finance Bill, HMRC will consider all available evidence around the impact of the 50% rate including data from the 2010-11 self assessment returns which will become available next year.

Independent Commission on Banking

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has set a timetable for the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Independent Commission on Banking after the Government has published its response.

Mark Hoban: The Government are currently considering options for implementation. This will be discussed in the Government response to the Independent Banking Commission, due by the end of the year.

Independent Commission on Banking

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to accept the recommendation of the Independent Commission on Banking to establish a challenger bank; and when any such bank would be established.

Mark Hoban: The Government have welcomed the Independent Commission on Banking’s recommendations. The Government will respond by the end of the year.

Individual Savings Accounts

Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on plans to introduce social Individual Savings Accounts.

Mark Hoban: ISAs offer a clear and simple option for saving in a tax-advantaged way for over 23 million people in the UK. They have the benefit of being simple, transparent, competitive and flexible.
	A number of providers choose to offer green ISAs, ethical ISAs and ISAs orientated towards supporting other social benefits. The Government's ISA regulations are designed to allow providers to develop these types of ISA products, where there is demand.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to extend national insurance contribution holiday to all small businesses.

David Gauke: The policy is designed to support new businesses in parts of the country that are most reliant on the public sector assisting them in their first year, reducing the costs of hiring staff and improving the likelihood of business survival.
	The Government have considered the case for extending the NICs Holiday to all existing small businesses but believes the best use of public funds at this time is to keep the NICs Holiday as a targeted scheme for those areas in most need of employment support.

Office for Tax Simplification: Manpower

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed by the Office for Tax Simplification.

David Gauke: The OTS has 12 staff:
	Four full-time civil servants
	Eight part-time secondees

Personal Savings: Interest Rates

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the annual revenue yield from interest on money in bank and building society deposits.

Mark Hoban: Estimated income tax liabilities on savings income is shown in table 2.6 “Income tax liabilities, by income source and tax band, 2007-08 to 2011-12”, available on the HMRC website at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-6.xls

Revenue and Customs: Recruitment

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which departments in HM Revenue and Customs staff have been recruited to the new affluent team.

David Gauke: 100 people were redeployed from teams working in HMRC's Individuals and Public Bodies Group. The other 100 have been recruited by competition across HMRC and come from many different parts of the department and have a wide range of relevant skills.

Revenue and Customs: Recruitment

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether new jobs created to tackle tax avoidance and evasion were advertised externally; and what the cost was of such advertising.

David Gauke: New jobs created by HM Revenue and Customs to tackle tax avoidance and evasion have not been advertised outside of the civil service.

Taxation: Business

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs' online service for filing company tax returns was last updated.

David Gauke: The HM Revenue and Customs online service for filing company tax returns was updated on 11 October 2011. The update included the reductions in the corporation tax rates announced in Budget 2011.

Taxation: Financial Services

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has estimated the revenue which would be raised for the Exchequer by a tax on international financial transactions levied at (a) 0.005 per cent., (b) 0.05 per cent., (c) 0.5 per cent. and (d) five per cent.

Mark Hoban: The EU Commission published proposals for a EU financial transactions tax on 28 September. As part of the associated impact assessment, it set out revenue estimates for various types of financial transaction tax. However, in respect of budgetary impacts, the EU Commission also notes the following.
	“Estimating revenue for taxes that would be newly introduced and that—at least to a certain extent—have the goal to change market behaviour and structure is not feasible without a high degree of uncertainty. This comprises also the effects on other taxes like corporation tax, capital gains taxes which revenue could decrease when introducing additional taxes.”
	The full impact assessment and associated documents are available from the EU Commission at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/other_taxes/financial_sector/index_en.htm
	The Government believes that any financial transaction tax would have to apply globally to avoid transactions relocating to those countries not applying the tax.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals in respect of controlled foreign companies; and if so when.

David Gauke: New controlled foreign companies (CFC) rules will be introduced in Finance Bill 2012.

VAT: Inflation

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution of the increased rate of value added tax to inflation.

David Gauke: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR will publish updated forecasts on 29 November 2011. The Office for National Statistics estimates that the impact of the VAT rise on consumer prices index inflation in January 2011 was 0.76 percentage points.

TRANSPORT

Airlines: Passengers

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to encourage the Civil Aviation Authority to take action against airlines which mistreat their customers and passengers.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the UK's National Enforcement Body for European aviation consumer law and has enforcement powers backed by criminal penalties. The use of these powers is a matter for the CAA.

Crossrail Line: Rolling Stock

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to hold a separate financing competition for Crossrail rolling stock.

Theresa Villiers: The procurement of the Crossrail rolling stock and depot facilities is being undertaken by Crossrail Ltd on behalf of the project's two sponsors, Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
	The OJEU advertisement for the procurement was issued in December 2010. The invitation to negotiate documentation, which will set out in more detail the scope of services to be provided by bidders, is currently being developed by Crossrail Ltd. Arrangements in relation to financing will be confirmed in more detail once the invitation to negotiate is published.

Departmental Consultants

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures her Department uses when engaging external consultants.

Norman Baker: All procurement of external consultants undertaken by the Department complies with the Government's procurement policies and procedures.
	Regardless of definition or value, all requirements for external consultancy are subject to review and approval by the Department's Departmental Approvals Committee (DAC) before any procurement action can commence.

Departmental Location

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants in her Department have been (a) relocated and (b) agreed to relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the UK.

Norman Baker: There have been no relocations of DfT central staff during the last 12 months. 18 staff are planned to be relocated from Woking to Farnborough during the next 12 months.
	Information on the number of DfT executive agency staff relocated, and agreed for relocation, in the last 12 months is not centrally recorded and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The DfT (including executive agencies) will consider opportunities for relocation as they arise, for example, through departmental reorganisation and reviews of estates requirements.

Great Western Railway Line

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department will invite (a) formal submissions from regional organisations as part of a consultation and (b) comments on the draft specification for the Great Western rail franchise; and whether her Department has set a date by which such submissions must be received.

Theresa Villiers: As part of the Great Western refranchising process, the Government intend to issue a consultation document. This will include the opportunity for individuals and organisations to provide feedback on the draft franchise specification. Currently we expect the consultation exercise to commence by January 2012 and conclude by April 2012.

Great Western Railway Line

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date her Department plans to issue the specification and invitation to tender for the next Great Western rail franchise.

Theresa Villiers: We currently expect to issue the specification and invitation to tender for the next Great Western franchise in May 2012.

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps her Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport is committed to putting in place a framework for assessing applications for employee co-operatives.
	This will be developed in line with guidance from Cabinet Office and will cover all aspects of the establishment of employee-led mutuals.

Railways: Accidents

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has made in its investigation into the incident on 18 July 2011 involving a tamper train on the Northampton Loop being hit by loose metal panels from containers from a freight train.

Theresa Villiers: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident on 18 July 2011 involving a tamper train on the Northampton Loop being hit by loose metal panels from containers from a freight train. The details of the incident were as described as follows:
	At 17:55 hrs, the driver of a tamper travelling on the Down Northampton line, reported that his cab had been struck by an object from freight train 4L68, the 12:15 hrs container service from Birch Coppice (near Tamworth) to Felixstowe, as it passed on the adjacent line. The tamper driver had observed a metal panel flapping from the side of the approaching container train. He released the safety device in his cab as he moved to protect himself and the tamper came to a stand. The side window of the cab had been smashed but he escaped injury. He then called the signaller to request that all trains be stopped on the adjacent line. When he re-continued his journey, the tamper driver reported finding another similar panel beside the track closer to Rugby.
	The two metal panels were later recovered from the trackside and were found to be from two containers that were on 4L68. The containers were fitted with power generation equipment. The panels, approximately 2.5m high x 1m wide, had been screwed to the container sides; each had covered a louvred-aperture. The RAIB has examined the containers and found evidence of loose and missing screws on other panels that had been fitted.
	The RAIB has examined the panels that became detached and the containers to which they were originally attached. Through interviews, industry records, CCTV images and analysis the RAIB has determined the sequence of events leading up to the incident. It has identified that the panels became detached due to failure of their fastening arrangements to the container.
	The RAIB has identified the controls that are in place to manage and approve design and modifications to freight containers. The RAIB is currently considering their effectiveness and the industry's compliance with them. Similarly, it is investigating the railway specific arrangements that are in place to prevent unsafe containers entering railway service.
	Upon conclusion of the investigation, the RAIB will, if appropriate, make recommendations to limit the likelihood and/or reduce the consequence of future similar incidents on the railway.

Railways: Accidents

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department is conducting work on the crashworthiness of tables on Class 156 units following injuries to passengers at a crash on the Sudbury branch on 17 August 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The role of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is to conduct independent investigations into accident and incidents on the railways of the UK for the purpose of improving safety. The RAIB undertook an investigation into the accident on 17 August 2010 at Sewage Works Lane and published its report on 11 August 2011 (RAIB report 14/2011, available at:
	www.raib.gov.uk
	The RAIB made six recommendations including recommendation number six:
	Owners of class 156 units should assess whether or not there is a case for improving the crashworthiness performance of the tables on Class 156 units and implement any measures found to be reasonably practicable. When undertaking this assessment, the owners should seek the co-operation of operators of Class 156 units.
	The owners of Class 156 units are rolling stock leasing companies (known as ROSCOs); in this case the Porterbrook Leasing Company and Angel Trains.
	The Railways (Accident Investigation and Reporting) Regulations 2005 places a duty on the safety authority, the Office of Rail Regulation, to ensure that recommendations are considered and where appropriate acted upon. The RAIB has no role or statutory powers to follow up on the implementation of recommendations, other than if it becomes relevant as part of a subsequent investigation.

Railways: Overcrowding

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of people who are required to stand on train services between Leeds and Halifax because of a lack of capacity between (a) 7 am and 10 am and (b) 4 pm and 7 pm.

Theresa Villiers: The Department has undertaken no analysis of the number of people required to stand on train services between Leeds and Halifax. Under the terms of their franchise agreement with the Department, operators (in this case Northern Rail) are required to align their resources in a way which best matches demand.
	As part of the Government's High Level Output Specification (HLOS) intervention, 60 additional carriages are to be in operation on the Northern network by mid December.

Road Works

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department proposes to take to prevent utility companies from passing lane rental charges on to consumers.

Norman Baker: The Department's proposals for lane rental initially would involve a very small number of "pioneer" schemes that are carefully targeted, with charges only being applied on the busiest streets at the busiest times. These would be used to gather evidence. This targeting maximises the opportunity for utility companies to reduce or avoid their exposure to charges by working in less disruptive ways. In addition, approval for a scheme would only be granted by the Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), where any costs were justified by the benefits from reduced traffic congestion. The impacts of any “pioneer” schemes, including any effects on utility bills, will be carefully considered before decisions are taken on whether lane rental could usefully play a wider role.

Ryanair: Disability

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to discuss the treatment of people with a disability by Ryanair with the Civil Aviation Authority.

Theresa Villiers: The rights of disabled air travellers are set out in European legislation which has been accepted throughout the European Union. Ryanair is an Irish registered airline and any questions in relation to its fulfilment of its obligations to disabled air travellers under European law is a matter for the Irish Civil Aviation Authority.
	EC Regulation 1107/2006 gives disabled air travellers and persons of reduced mobility access to air travel and assistance when they fly to and from Europe. It imposes legal obligations on airport managing bodies, air carriers, and their agents or tour operators. In the United Kingdom it is enforced by the UK's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was for each category of cost of the procurement process for the Thameslink rolling stock contract. [R]

Theresa Villiers: In accordance with the invitation to tender, the Department for Transport is not responsible for costs or expenses of any bidder. Therefore the costs to the public purse of the whole procurement process to June 2011 (including design) is £19.2 million which was spent on external advisers. Of this total, £13.9 million was incurred under the previous Government. These figures are in addition to internal staff costs.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library a copy of the rail consultants Interfleet's report on Thameslink train formations from January 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The Interfleet report is the subject of a public interest test for a freedom of information request that the Department is currently processing.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Allowances

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much members of his departmental management board have claimed in expenses since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Department publishes details of the business expenses incurred by its most senior staff, including members of its management board, on its website. The data relating to the period 1 May to 31 December 2010 can be accessed via:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/scs-expenses.shtml
	Details of the business expenses incurred between 1 January and 30 June 2011 will be released in due course.

Departmental Billing

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts of a monetary value of (a) between £100,000 and £500,000, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £1 million and £5 million, (d) between £5 million and £10 million, (e) between £10 million and £50 million, (f) between £50 million and £100 million, (g) between £100 million and £500 million, (h) between £500 million and £1 billion, (i) between £1 billion and £5 billion and (j) over £5 billion his Department and its predecessors have entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Contract value range Number of contracts 
			 £100,000 to £500,000 671 
			 £500,000 to £1,000,000 217 
			 £1,000,000 to £5,000,000 367 
			 £5,000,000 to £10,000,000 97 
			 £10,000,000 to £50,000,000 94 
			 £50,000,000 to £100,000,000 35 
			 £100,000,000 to £500,000,000 48 
			 £500,000,000 to £1,000,000,000 3 
			 £1,000,000,000 to £5,000,000,000 7 
			 £5,000,000,000 and above 0 
			 Total 1,539 
			 Notes: 1. These figures include DWP and its NDPB's. 2. This Contracts Database was created in 2010, there was no central repository of contact data before that time.

Departmental Fines

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many transport-related fines his Department has settled on behalf of its staff; and at what cost in each year since 2007.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid the following amounts to settle transport related fines incurred by DWP staff since 2007:
	
		
			  Number Amount (£) 
			 2006-07 343 12,585.25 
			 2007-08 98 6,298.13 
			 2008-09 217 10,713.00 
			 2009-10 403 23,951.00 
			 2010-11 447 20,847.20 
			 2011-12 to date 125 6,974.50 
		
	
	The figures above represent fines incurred by DWP staff driving DWP official fleet vehicles and hire vehicles on departmental business. This information should be viewed in the context of a Department employing over 100,000 staff.
	The contractors who provide the private user scheme (PUS), official vehicles (OV) and hire cars are the registered keepers of any vehicles leased or hired by the Department. The contractors pay the fines directly and then invoice the driver; only in exceptional circumstances are the department charged by the contractor when they have difficulty in retrieving the fine.
	This Government introduced a policy to recover fines more rapidly. Consequently, DWP has a process to recover fines in place that was introduced on 16 May 2011 and is at present recovering fines back to 1 April 2010.

Departmental Location

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants in his Department have been (a) relocated and (b) agreed to relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the UK.

Chris Grayling: A number of staff in the Department relocate each year for a variety of reasons, which could include for example taking up new opportunities in the Department or other Government Departments or for personal reasons. As a Department we do not keep records on these types of moves.
	In terms of moves at public expense, the Department has only had one such move of home relocation in the last 12 months. This move was from Northamptonshire to London.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations (i) Ministers and (ii) senior officials in his Department have spoken in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The following table details recorded information relating to speeches given by this Department's Ministers since May 2010 to the organisations mentioned. We are unable to provide a breakdown by organisation type as the vast majority of the organisations that Ministers have spoken to fit into two or more of the categories mentioned.
	There are approximately 200 senior officials in this Department but no central record is held of speeches made by them to outside organisations, we are therefore unable to collate this information.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010  
			 May 0 
			 June 16 
			 July 12 
			 August 1 
			 September 8 
			 October 19 
			 November 27 
			 December 11 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 8 
			 February 11 
			 March 26 
			 April 5 
			 May 19 
		
	
	
		
			 June 26 
			 July 14 
			 August 0 
			 September 12 
			 October 2011 (to date) 20

Employment and Support Allowance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) applied and (b) had an application refused for employment and support allowance in each month since the work capability assessment started; and how many of those whose applications were refused had it granted on appeal in each of those months.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in July 2011, covers new claimants to ESA for October 2008 to November 2010 (the latest data available) and can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Table 1 in the above publication shows that since the introduction of ESA in October 2008 to November 2010 (the latest data available), there were 1,342,100 new ESA claims and, of these, 517,900 (39%) were assessed to be fit for work at initial assessment. These figures are published by month of claim start and by region in table 1.
	Table 3 in the above publication presents data on ESA claims up to the end of May 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in this publication) where the person claiming has been found fit for work, they subsequently appeal the Department’s decision and the appeal has been heard by the Tribunals Service by the end of April 2011 (the latest data we have from the Tribunals Service).
	This shows that for ESA claims starting between October 2008 and May 2010, there were 146,200 appeals heard on fit for work decisions at initial assessment. Of these appeals, 56,500 (39%) concluded in favour of the appellant. These figures are published by month of claim start in table 3.

Employment and Support Allowance: Mining

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of employment and support allowance were formerly employed in the mining or steel industries in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
	Information on occupation may be collected for some benefit claimants as part of the claims process, in particular, those in employment at the time of claim, but is not carried through to the datasets available for analysis. Information on employment history is not collected.
	Information on the number of claimants on employment and support allowance is available on the Department’s tabulation tool which can be accessed from the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool

Employment: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people were not in education, employment or training in each region in each of the last 18 months.

John Hayes: I have been asked to reply.
	Tables showing the number of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) by region for the latest six quarters available will be placed in the Libraries of the House. These estimates are from the quarterly Labour Force Survey and refer to England only. Information for the devolved Administrations is available from the respective Governments.
	(1) Age used is the respondents' academic age, which is their age at the preceding 31 August.
	Please note that these estimates are subject to sampling variability and should be viewed in conjunction with their Confidence Intervals(2) (CIs), which give an indication of how accurate an estimate is. For example, the confidence interval for England of +/- 48,000 in the second quarter of 2011 means that the true NEET total could lie up to 48,000 above or below the point estimate (between 931,000 and 1,027,000).
	(2) Confidence intervals quoted are 95% confidence intervals.
	These statistics are published by the Department for Education alongside the NEET Statistics - Quarterly Brief at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001019/index.shtml

General Medical Council

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has made a submission to the General Medical Council's consultation on good medical practice; and if he will place a copy of any such submission in the Library.

Chris Grayling: The Department did make a recent submission to the General Medical Council's consultation on good medical practice. This has been placed in the Library.

Rented Housing: Cambridge

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet councillors and officers of Cambridge city council to discuss the Government's assessment of the efficacy of the Cambridge broad rental market area.

Steve Webb: Broad rental market areas are an essential feature in calculating rates of housing benefit for tenants in the private rented sector. All English broad rental market areas were reviewed by the Valuation Office Agency rent officers over a two-year period ending in March 2011 and there are no further plans to assess the effect or efficacy of the boundaries.
	The hon. Member for Cambridge has raised the city council's concerns about the efficacy of the Cambridge broad rental market area previously. He met with the Minister for Welfare Reform, my noble Friend Lord Freud, in October last year to discuss them and further met with my officials in May this year. My Department understands the issues with the Cambridge broad rental market area but on the whole we are satisfied that these current arrangements are working well and have no plans to review broad rental market area boundaries in the near future.
	I would of course, be happy to meet the hon. Member if any new issues have arisen since his earlier meetings.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to uprate pensions and benefits in line with the September 2011 consumer prices index inflation rate.

Steve Webb: Next year's proposed benefit rates will be announced to Parliament by ministerial statement later in the autumn. As announced in the June 2010 Budget, the consumer prices index (CPI) is the Government's preferred prices measure for benefit and pension uprating and is consistent with the Bank of England's inflation target.

Universal Credit

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of administering universal credit (a) monthly and (b) fortnightly; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of offering benefit recipients the choice of how regularly they receive payments.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will be introduced in October 2013, and individuals will be migrated to universal credit over the subsequent four years. Costs and benefits over this transition period will depend upon the precise nature of the migration strategy.
	In the longer term, reduced administrative complexity may save more than £0.5 billion a year in administrative costs alone. However at this early stage, it is not possible to offer precise figures about specific parts of the process.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, which local authorities have undertaken recent additional research into registration; and what research each authority has undertaken.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not collate additional research carried out by local authorities and is not aware of any such research into electoral registration carried out by local authorities in the past year.
	The most recent research it has seen was carried out by Lanarkshire Valuation Joint Board in 2009.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many and what proportion of eligible people were registered to vote in each year since 1990.

Gary Streeter: There is no regularly available data on the total eligible population in the UK. Estimates of non-registration can only be obtained through research into the electoral register.
	The most recent national estimate of the proportion of the eligible electorate registered to vote used the 2001 census data. It found that 91% to 92% of those who were eligible in England and Wales were on the register.
	The number of entries on the UK parliamentary register on 1 December in each year since 1990 is as follows:
	
		
			  UK parliamentary register entries 
			 1990 43,663,423 
			 1991 43,556,783 
			 1992 43,724,886 
			 1993 43,718,537 
			 1994 43,786,734 
			 1995 43,896,208 
			 1996 43,984,745 
			 1997 44,203,604 
			 1998 44,296,793 
			 1999 44,388,885 
			 2000 44,423,440 
			 2001 44,695,764 
			 2002 44,363,353 
			 2003 44,136,652 
			 2004 44,180,243 
			 2005 44,403,415 
			 2006 44,773,420 
			 2007 45,082,854 
			 2008 45,194,449 
			 2009 45,420,808 
			 2010 45,844,691

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many people were on the electoral register in each general election year since 1983.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the total electorate on polling day at each UK parliamentary general election since 1983 was as follows:
	
		
			 UK parliamentary general election 
			  UK parliamentary register entries 
			 1983 42,192,999 
			 1987 43,180,753 
			 1992 43,275,316 
			 1997 43,846,152 
			 2001 44,403,238 
			 2005 44,245,939 
			 2010 45,597,461

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: EU Law

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the EU directive on animal experimentation.

Lynne Featherstone: European directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes is to be implemented in United Kingdom legislation on 1 January 2013. A detailed assessment of the impact of its provisions is under way following the public consultation on options for transposition which closed on 5 September 2011.
	We are now analysing the responses to the public consultation on the options for transposition and will publish a summary report by the end of 2011.

Bolivia: Drugs

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions the Government has had with the EU Horizontal Drugs Group on the potential re-accession of Bolivia to the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 October 2011
	Bolivia withdrew from the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 on 1 July 2011. The Bolivian Government has announced that it will re-apply to the Convention in January 2012, with a reserve on the articles relating to the prohibition of coca leaf. The international community will then have 12 months to consider the reserve.
	The issue was discussed at a meeting of the EU Horizontal Drugs Group on 4 October. The Government are at the early stages of discussing this issue with their EU and other partners, including the Bolivian Government, to inform their consideration.

Civil Disorder

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested for offences committed in the public disorder in August were identified through (a) DNA evidence, (b) CCTV evidence and (c) other means.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Cybercrime

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department were employed in (a) preventing and (b) investigating cyber-crime in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; how many such staff will be employed in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13 and (C) 2013-14; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 October 2011
	Prevention and investigation of cyber crime are operational matters for the police and law enforcement agencies. As a result, no staff in the Home Office are involved in these activities.

Departmental Buildings

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects her Department plans in the (i) current and (ii) next financial year; and what the cost will be of each such project.

Damian Green: Planned major building and refurbishment projects, over the value of £250,000, in the years 2011-12 and 2012-13 are set out in the following table. The majority of these are required for estate consolidation or to improve the capacity and facilities on the immigration detention estate. Consolidating the Home Office estate will move staff into fewer buildings, releasing savings of over £12 million per annum. The detention estate changes support the UK Border Agency's strategic objectives of securing the border and controlling migration and also help meet the coalition agreement to end the detention of children. Providing details of all building and maintenance works costing less than £250,000 would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 (£)  (1) 
			 Project type Project name Forecast spend in 2011-12 Spend estimate in 2012-13 
			 New build Manchester—replacement detection dog kennels and staff handlers accommodation 1,016,667 — 
			 Refurbishment Liverpool—consolidation project including fit out of Capital Building 3,197,908 — 
			 Refurbishment London consolidation project—refurbishment works comprising Becket House, Lunar House, Apollo House, Amadeus House, Bedford Lakes, Custom House, Eaton House, Metro Point 2,500,000 7,704,167 
			 Refurbishment Apollo House, Croydon—lift replacement 815,000 — 
			 Conversion and fit out Pre-departure accommodation (Cedars), Pease Pottage, Crawley 3,653,257 — 
			 Conversion and fit out HMP Morton Hall conversion to an immigration removal centre (IRC) 3,572,472 — 
			 Conversion and fit out Conversion of customs custody suites to removal bed spaces 350,000 — 
			 (1) Exclusive of VAT

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what volunteering (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers are actively involved with charities on a private basis as detailed in the list of Ministers' interests published by the Cabinet Office, as well as our involvement in other local voluntary activities in our constituencies.

Deportation: Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have been able to remain in the UK on human rights grounds.

Damian Green: To establish how many foreign national offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements are living in the UK, have been allowed to remain on human rights grounds and the type of offence committed in the UK would require cross referencing a large volume of electronic records, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	857 foreign nationals convicted of an offence subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have been deported from the UK between October 2010 and September 2011.
	138 foreign nationals convicted of an offence subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements who have successfully appealed against deportation between October 2010 and September 2011.

Detention Centres: Suicide

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to support those who are held in detention centres who are considered to be at risk of suicide.

Damian Green: Each Immigration removal centre has a comprehensive self harm reduction strategy in place to support detainees who are deemed to be at risk of suicide or self-harm. The procedures, Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT), provide a holistic approach to suicide and self-harm prevention within the broader context of decency, safety, and the concept of a healthy centre. It also brings existing policy in line with similar changes implemented by the Ministry of Justice.
	The ACDT process starts as soon as an individual has been identified as being at risk. It involves an initial risk assessment and assessment interview conducted by specially trained individuals. A specific care map tailored to the issues faced by the individual is produced to ensure provision of multi-disciplinary support, including input from both health care professionals and staff at the centre. The ACDT document is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure the correct support is provided while the individual is thought to be at risk.

Domestic Violence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the maintenance of local partnerships which tackle domestic violence following the transfer of funding to police and crime commissioners.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 20 October 2011
	The Government have made clear the priority they attach to local services tackling domestic violence.
	The Home Office is providing dedicated funding for specialist services to tackle violence against women and girls with over £28 million of ring-fenced funding allocated to local services until 2015. This funding will continue to be held centrally, although we would expect police and crime commissioners to also work closely with local domestic violence services, in order to improve the police response to these crimes.

Entry Clearances: EU Nationals

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to make any changes to the restrictions applying to A2 nationals working in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government have asked the Migration Advisory Committee to report on the labour market case for continuing the existing restrictions applying to A2 nationals. We will consider the committee’s report carefully before deciding whether to make any changes, and will announce our decisions before the end of the year.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visas were granted to Zimbabwean nationals in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Green: The number of visas issued to Zimbabwean students is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2004 793 
			 2005 782 
			 2006 488 
			 2007 391 
			 2008 271 
			 2009 223 
			 2010 248 
		
	
	These data are based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change. Statistical data are not held prior to 2004. The figures are for main student visa applicants only and do not include student visitors.

Extradition

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish the response to Lord Justice Scott Baker's review of UK extradition arrangements.

Damian Green: The independent review of the United Kingdom's extradition arrangements was published by way of a written ministerial statement on 18 October 2011, Official Report, columns 62-63WS. Given the thoroughness of the report, it is right that the Government consider the findings very carefully before announcing to Parliament what action we intend to take. An announcement will be made in due course.

Gang Injunctions

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gang injunctions have been implemented since their inception.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not collect data on a mandatory basis on the use of gang injunctions by local authorities and the police and so we cannot give a definitive number, though we are aware of seven gang injunctions in London, two in Bristol and one in Manchester.

Immigrants: Detainees

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pregnant women were detained for immigration purposes in 2010-11; and how many of them were released in the late stages of pregnancy because their pregnancy meant that they were not able to fly.

Damian Green: If a pregnant woman chooses to inform the UK Border Agency of her condition, the detail would be held on her medical file which is confidential between patient and doctor. The UK Border Agency does not hold such information centrally.
	The UK Border Agency’s published guidance makes clear that pregnant women should not normally be detained. The exceptions to this general position are where removal is imminent and medical advice does not suggest confinement before the due removal date or, for pregnant women of less than 24 weeks gestation, at Yarl’s Wood as part of a fast-track asylum process.

Immigrants: Detainees

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women detained for immigration purposes were (a) deported and (b) released in 2010-11; and how long each such woman was detained for.

Damian Green: Published information on detention relates to those people held in detention, solely under Immigration Act powers in immigration removal centres and short-term holding facilities. This excludes those in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short-term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.
	The following table shows the available information on number of women leaving detention by reason and length of detention for the 2010-11 financial year.
	
		
			 Women leaving detention by reason and length of detention, 2010-11 
			 Number 
			  Total detainees Removed from the UK Granted leave to enter/remain Granted temporary admission/release Bailed Other 
			 Total 4,299 2,831 25 1,237 182 24 
			 3 days or less 1,474 1,195 16 249 3 11 
			 4 to 7 days 769 548 4 206 7 4 
			 8 to 14 days 584 323 2 230 27 2 
			 15 to 28 days 485 196 1 236 50 2 
			 29 days to less than 2 months 458 254 0 159 44 1 
			 2 months to less than 3 months 208 132 1 58 17 0 
			 3 months to less than 4 months 111 66 0 36 7 2 
			 4 months to less than 6 months 104 59 1 38 6 0 
			 6 months to less than 12 months 86 46 0 23 15 2 
			 12 months to less than 18 months 12 8 0 1 3 0 
			 18 months to less than 24 months 3 0 0 0 3 0 
			 24 months or more 5 4 0 1 0 0 
			 Notes: 1. Data from Q1 2010 onwards are provisional. 2. All people held are detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers and exclude those in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short-term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants. Figures include dependants. 3. Relates to most recent period of sole detention. The period of detention starts when a person first enters the UK Border Agency estate. If the person is then moved from a removal centre to a police cell or Prison Service establishment, this period of stay will be included if the detention is solely under Immigration Act powers.

Independent Family Returns Panel: Public Appointments

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the appointment of permanent members of the Independent Family Returns Panel.

Damian Green: The Independent Family Returns Panel is a key part of the fresh approach to managing family returns which the Government have put in place to end the detention of children for immigration purposes. Members of the Panel were appointed on an interim basis in March 2011 and a recruitment round is now under way to appoint permanent members through fair and open competition. The posts were advertised on 30 June. Interviews of the shortlisted candidates began on 19 September and are due to conclude on 10 November. We aim to announce the membership of the new Panel as soon as possible after that.

Licensing Laws

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to commence section 112 of the Police and Social Responsibility Act 2011.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 17 October 2011
	Following the granting of Royal Assent on 15 September 2001 we will make an announcement on the commencement of section 112 and other sections of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act in due course.

Overseas Workers

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to maintain visa arrangements which permit overseas domestic workers to change employer.

Damian Green: The Government's recent consultation document “Employment—Related Settlement, Tier 5 and Overseas Domestic Workers” set out a number of proposals for reform of the overseas domestic worker provisions, which include making protections more appropriate, should the route be retained. We are currently considering the responses that have been received and will announce our decision in due course.

Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-human primates imported into the UK by air for research purposes were found to be ill or dead on arrival during 2011.

Lynne Featherstone: During 2011, from the reports we have received to date, no non-human primates imported into the UK for the purposes of scientific research were reported to be sick or dead on arrival.

Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-human primates of each species from each country have been imported into the UK for the purposes of scientific research in 2011.

Lynne Featherstone: During 2011, from the reports received to date, the number non-human primates of each species from each country imported into the UK for the purposes of scientific research are as shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Country Cynomolgus macaque Rhesus macaque 
			 China 98 0 
			 Mauritius 518 0 
			 Netherlands 98 58 
			 Vietnam 240 0 
			 Total 954 58

Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-human primates of each species imported into the UK for the purposes of scientific research in 2011 were sourced as (a) Captive-born (or F1 generation) and (b) Captive-bred (F2+ generation).

Lynne Featherstone: Although the information currently submitted to the Home Office following the acquisition of each batch of non-human primates provides evidence that animals have been born in captivity, there is currently no requirement for the records to indicate whether animals are F1 or F2+. However, from the information available we estimate the respective totals to be as detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  F1 Captive-born F2+ Captive-bred 
			 Cynomolgus macaque 480 474 
			 Rhesus macaque 0 58

Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the monetary value was of assets (a) seized and (b) frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The value of cash forfeiture orders and confiscation orders obtained is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Cash forfeitures orders Confiscation orders Total 
			 2008-09 39.40 216.00 255.40 
			 2009-10 45.96 179.03 224.99 
			 2010-11 40.51 466.16 506.67 
		
	
	The value of assets frozen is not held centrally. Restraint orders (also known as freezing orders) can be made against a defendant's property without the need to calculate the monetary worth of those assets.

Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the expenditure incurred by police forces in connection with the recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: This information is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Public Bodies

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the monetary value of the maintenance backlog (a) on her Department's estate and (b) for the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the time required to complete such maintenance.

Damian Green: Estimates of maintenance backlogs are not held. However a requirement for £35 million of anticipated repair work has been identified for future financial years for the Bramshill Police College and Hendon Data Centres which includes an element for backlog repairs. The future of both these sites is under review. The estate is generally maintained through a planned preventative maintenance programme within budgetary limits.

Right of Abode

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applications for right of residence in the UK her Department has rejected where the applicant is both an A2 national and defines their employment status as self-employed on the basis that her Department believes the applicant is not genuinely self-employed in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many applications for right of residence in the UK her Department has (a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected where the applicant is both an A2 national and defines their employment status as self-employed in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Right of residence applications received from self employed A2 nationals in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and the status of these applications  (1, 2, 3) 
			    Status of application 
			 Case type Year Total applications received Approved Refused Outcome pending Other  (4) 
			 A2 Self Employed 2008 9,550 6,570 2,565 — 415 
			 A2 Self Employed 2009 7,680 6,120 1,345 — 215 
			 A2 Self Employed 2010 9,270 7,150 1,800 * 320 
			 (1) All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 (— = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (3) Applications refer to main applicants only, excluding dependants. (4) Other includes cases that w ere revoked, withdrawn, superseded, void, etc. 
		
	
	The UK Border Agency (UKBA) is unable to advise how many applications were rejected on the grounds that the applicant was not believed to be genuinely self-employed. This data is not held in a reportable format on the Case Information Database (CID).
	Consequently, in order to provide this information we would need to undertake a manual case by case search of records, which would exceed the cost threshold.

Surveillance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of training surveillance officers in the financial year 2011-12.

James Brokenshire: Training costs relating to surveillance officers are likely to vary significantly depending on the authority concerned, the nature of the post and the type of surveillance being undertaken. The costs are not held centrally, but by individual agencies or public authorities.

JUSTICE

Civil Disorder

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of offences committed in the public disorder in August were identified through (a) DNA evidence, (b) CCTV evidence and (c) other means.

Crispin Blunt: In order to allow timely reporting of statistics on offenders proceeded against at the magistrates courts for offences resulting from the 6 to 9 August period of public disorder a dataset has been compiled from manual returns from the courts. The available information does not include information on how offenders have been identified.
	This detailed information will likely be held on individual case files which due to their size and complexity have not been reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services at the Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Air Travel

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on first-class air travel by Ministers in his Department since 1 May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: No Ministers in the Department have travelled first class by air since 1 May 2010.

Latchmere House Prison

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff are employed at HMP Latchmere house; how many prisoners it (a) holds and (b) has held since 1 September 2011; and what its running costs were in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: HMP Latchmere house was announced for closure in July 2011 and decommissioned as a prison on 30 September 2011. There are currently 11 staff based at Latchmere house providing on-site security. There are currently no prisoners held at the site. There were 59 prisoners held at the site on 26 August 2011, the closest published population figure to the requested date. The direct resource out-turn expenditure for Latchmere house for financial year 2010-11 was £4.4 million (figure is subject to rounding) and will shortly be published in an addendum to NOMS annual accounts for the period 2010-11.

Magistrates Courts: Domestic Violence

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of the reorganisation and merger of magistrates courts on the capacity of such courts to hear domestic violence cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: By reforming the court estate, HMCTS has assessed that it will increase courtroom utilisation from 64% to about 75%. This leaves sufficient capacity in magistrates courts to manage the case load, including domestic violence cases.
	Of the 93 magistrates courts designated for closure, HMCTS has identified that 22 operate within a specialist domestic violence court system (SDVC). Working with partner agencies, it has assessed the impact and issued guidance to ensure a smooth transition of domestic violence cases to the revised court estate, while maintaining the high level of support for victims.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 8 September 2011 regarding Mr David Evans.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The letter in question was transferred to the Cabinet Office on 24 October. I will respond to it shortly.

Prisoners: Ex-servicemen

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether and with what frequency meetings are held for former armed services personnel who are in prison;
	(2)  whether national funding will be made available for veteran support officers in the (a) Prison Service and (b) Probation Service;
	(3)  how many former armed services personnel are resident in approved premises in England and Wales;
	(4)  what the latest estimate is of the number of veterans who are (a) in prison, (b) on parole or licence and (c) on probation.

Crispin Blunt: Meetings for prisoners who are former armed service personnel take place in prisons where an identified need exists, usually as part of the Veterans in Custody Scheme which operates in approximately 120 prison establishments. The delivery or frequency of these meetings is not centrally mandated by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
	The Veterans in Custody Scheme offers support to prisoners who are former armed service personnel and liaises with relevant service-based charities to ensure that this group of prisoners has access to the full range of services that are available. Certain Probation Trusts are implementing similar schemes, so that support and links to service-based charities are also available to offenders in the community.
	NOMS has not provided additional funding to deliver this area of work as it is part of offender management which is already centrally funded.
	Data on the number of former armed services personnel who are resident in Approved Premises in England and Wales is not centrally collated and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by analysing information held on offender files or on local data systems, validating it, and then collating it in a common format in order to provide a response.
	The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice announced in a written ministerial statement on 6 January 2010, Official Report, column 7WS, the findings of an initial study by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) which estimated that, by analysing a database of prisoners aged 18 years and over on 6 November 2009, 3% of the prison population in England and Wales (2,207 prisoners) are ex-Regular service personnel.
	In September 2010, DASA revised the estimate of ex-Regular service personnel to 3.5% of the prison population in England and Wales (2,280 prisoners) to take into account the incompleteness of their service leavers database, which did not previously include reliable data for those who had left the services prior to 1979 (Navy), 1973 (Army) and 1969 (RAF).
	The initial report and the updated estimate are available via the following links:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php?pub=VETERANS-IN_PRISON_INIT1AL_REPORT
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php?pub-VETERANS_IN_PRISON
	In a third report, published in March 2011, DASA estimated, by analysing a database of offenders aged 18 years and over who were supervised by probation trusts on 30 September 2009, that there were 5,860 former members of the armed forces on probation in England and Wales. This equates to 3.4% of the probation caseload and is roughly in line with the percentage in prison—3.5%.
	This report is available via the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php?pub=VETERANS_ON_PROBATION
	The estimate of 5,860 includes an upward adjustment of 499 former service personnel to take into account the incompleteness of DASA's service leavers database which did not capture reliable data for all those who left the services prior to 1979 (Naval Service), 1973 (Army) and 1969 (RAF). Therefore, only a total of 5,361 (or 3.1%) were actually matched to a supervision record.
	Of the 5,361 veterans matched to a supervision records, 1,038 (19%) had a post-release licence and 4,331 (81%) had either a community order or a suspended sentence.
	Note:
	Please note that it is possible for an individual to have matched to more than one type of supervision record.

Reoffenders

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to reduce reoffending among first-time offenders.

Crispin Blunt: The Government have set out their radical plans to reduce reoffending in response to the “Breaking the Cycle” consultation, and pilot programmes are under way at a number of sites to develop the approach.
	First-time offenders are an extremely disparate group: they may have been convicted of a wide range of offences, have a range of sentence types and lengths and could present anything from a low to a high risk of harm to others. There is a firmly evidenced principle that the allocation of resources is most effectively and efficiently based on the assessed risk and need of the offender.
	NOMS is committed to evidence-based commissioning and the approach that will therefore be applied to the rehabilitation of all offenders, including those who have committed their first offence, will be underpinned by the principle that the allocation of resources should be based on the assessed risk and need that the offender presents.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma: Internally Displaced Persons

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian needs of displaced people in Kachin State, Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) staff have been closely monitoring the humanitarian situation in Kachin State following the outbreak of conflict earlier this year. We are in contact with a number of organisations working in the affected areas, both from inside Burma and from across the border in China. We understand that as many as 20,000 people have been displaced by recent fighting, many without access to basic needs such as food, clean water and medicine. I have agreed that funding through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and a humanitarian non-governmental organisation already working in the area may be used to assist displaced people in Kachin State.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in his Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development’s pay scales have been frozen since 2009.
	The Department for International Development is contractually obligated to honour incremental progression for staff below the level of the senior civil service. In addition, all staff earning less than £21,000 p.a. received a base pay increase (in both years) of £250, in line with the coalition Government’s directive.
	The following table details the number of staff who received an increase, either through incremental progression or as a result of the £250 base pay increase, and the overall average percentage increase in each of the last two years.
	
		
			  Number of staff receiving an increase Average value of increase (Percentage) 
			 2010-11 1,134 2.2 
			 2011-12 1,014 2.2

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible earned more than (a) £65,000, (b) £95,000, (c) £140,000 and (d) £175,000 in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: The following table details the number of civil servants employed by the Department for International Development (DFID) who in the last financial year (2010-11) earned salaries within the ranges specified.
	
		
			 Salary range Number of staff 
			 £65,000 to £94,999 147 
			 £95,000 to £139,999 8 
			 £140,000 to £174,999 1 
			 Over £175,000 0

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) are taking forward a number of actions to:
	Improve our management information on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the introduction of an SME business tag on the new DFID portal.
	Stream line competitive processes to reduce potential barriers to SMEs.
	Open up channels of communication with SMEs to better understand how we can help create more business opportunities.
	As DFID is mid way through negotiations of key suppliers to the DFID portal that was launched in April 2011, we are not yet in a position to provide a detailed breakdown of all SME contracts for the period requested. However, early indications for the period July to September 2011 indicate that spend with SMEs represented at least 25% of the total spend on supplier contracts during this period.
	Further information on the DFID action plan for SMEs is available at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Work-with-us/Procurement/Actions-to-Assist-Small-and-Medium-Enterprises/

Developing Countries: Teachers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department plans to contribute to increasing the proportion of teachers who are female (a) in rural areas and (b) overall in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: Girls and women are at the heart of the coalition Government's development agenda. In education, there is evidence that increasing the number of teachers who are female has a positive impact on the retention of girls in school. The recruitment and retention of female teachers is particularly an issue in rural areas. All DFID bilateral education programmes have a specific focus on girls' education as part of a wider programme of support for the education sector, including supporting female teachers in rural areas where appropriate.
	In addition, DFID has recently announced a new Girls' Education Challenge, which will support programmes that help to get up to 1 million of the world's poorest girls into school. Funding will be allocated through a competitive process to support those projects best able to demonstrate how they will get more girls into education, which could include supporting programmes that recruit, train, and support female teachers in rural areas.

Developing Countries: Teachers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to assist developing countries to achieve a fully-qualified teacher workforce through (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral mechanisms.

Stephen O'Brien: DFID's bilateral programme focuses on the recruitment, training, and retention of an effective teaching workforce as part of the support for country education plans. DFID provides funding and technical support to partner countries to help ensure that teacher training is of high quality, and that classroom practice is effective. Internationally, DFID is a leading supporter of the Global Partnership for Education, a multilateral fund for education, which also focuses on the importance of an effective teaching workforce when assessing applications for funding. In addition, DFID is working in partnership with the World Bank to .develop education system benchmarking tools which will help to identify barriers to teacher training and performance.

Developing Countries: Teachers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the quality of education in developing countries of the use of unqualified teachers.

Stephen O'Brien: Teachers are an integral part of ensuring the quality of education, but in many parts of the developing world it is difficult to recruit, train, and retain sufficient numbers of qualified teachers. More than 3 million more teachers are needed in sub-Saharan Africa alone. This can lead to the use of unqualified teachers.
	DFID is monitoring the emerging evidence on the issue, which offers mixed results. In some cases, unqualified teachers have been shown to be effective in the classroom. DFID supports partner countries to develop education programmes, including improving teacher training and standards. In particular, DFID is focused on working with partnerships to achieve results and is investing in better methods of measuring learning outcomes and of benchmarking system performance.

Developing Countries: Waste Disposal

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to deal with the negative effect on developing countries of the importation or dumping of electronic waste.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK plans for dealing with the negative effects on developing countries of the importation or dumping of electronic waste, is to deal with the problem at the source and to prevent the exportation of hazardous e-waste from the UK so that it does not reach developing countries. Working electrical equipment can be exported for use overseas. However, under the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive, it is always illegal to export hazardous e-waste from the UK for disposal to developing countries. The UK has a national intelligence team and a national environmental crime team. As part of their remit, these teams are tasked with preventing the illegal export of e-waste. They use an intelligence-led approach to target the most prolific, serious and organised illegal waste exporters. This has led to a 98% success rate of finding electrical waste when stopping targeted shipping containers.

Gambia: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on future support to the Gambian government to maintain and improve the education system.

Stephen O'Brien: In January this year the Bilateral Aid Review confirmed the decision originally taken in 2008 to close the UK's bilateral aid programme in The Gambia. The UK continues to support The Gambia through our contributions to the multilateral development organisations. This includes the Education for All Fast Track Initiative, to which the UK is the second largest donor. The Gambia received $28 million in FTI funding for 2011-12.

Libya: Zoos

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 1173W, on Tripoli Zoo, whether he now has further information on the welfare of animals in the zoo.

Andrew Mitchell: Following your earlier question, British officials visited Tripoli Zoo recently to assess the welfare of the animals. All the animals seemed in good condition apart from the stress inevitable after being so close to major conflict. They are well cared for by the dedicated staff who like so many Libyans have been working without salaries for the last few months.

Overseas Aid: Fraud

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on external investigators to tackle aid fraud, based (a) in and (b) outside the UK, in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: Since January 2010, the Department for International Development's Counter Fraud Unit has spent £502,000 on externally-sourced investigations. In addition, DFID country offices and departments have also contracted separately for locally-managed external investigators.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the introduction of compulsory, routine herd testing for tuberculosis in camelids (a) in endemic tuberculosis areas, (b) where they are kept in close proximity to cattle and (c) in general.

James Paice: There is no mandatory TB surveillance programme for camelids because they are not regarded as important reservoirs of TB infection for other species.
	There are no validated, sufficiently accurate and practical diagnostic techniques to routinely screen live camelids for TB. Surveillance for TB infection in camelids in Great Britain relies primarily on notifications of suspected cases detected during post mortem examination by private veterinarians and Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) regional laboratories. Owners and their private veterinarians are under legal obligation to notify such cases to AHVLA.

Bovine Tuberculosis

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the potential for bovine tuberculosis to be spread through the movement of camelids.

James Paice: Camelids in Great Britain are considered to be incidental, spillover hosts of bovine tuberculosis, generally acting as sentinels of the infection in the local badger populations and cattle herds. Our preliminary veterinary risk assessment indicates that they pose a risk of spreading bovine tuberculosis infection mainly to other camelids, for example through mating, movements, purchases and shows. The risk that camelids represent to other species is considered to be low, compared to that posed by transmission from cattle and from badgers.

Food: Origin Marking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has any plans to introduce compulsory country of origin labelling for food.

James Paice: Clearer origin labelling is a key commitment in the Government's Programme. We want to ensure that consumers have confidence in the origin claims that are being made.
	The new EU Regulation on the Provision of Food Information to the consumer has recently been agreed and will improve origin labelling throughout the EU. Under the new rules we successfully negotiated mandatory origin information be required for fresh and frozen meat. Where claims are made concerning the origin of a food, further information on the origin of the main ingredients will have to be given if these are different to the claim. Information is also required where failure to provide origin information could materially mislead the consumer. This is a significant step forward in the provision of better labelling for consumers.
	As part of the package of measures there will be consideration of whether compulsory origin information is needed for other foods (including milk and dairy products) through a report by the Commission within three years. Also the feasibility for mandatory rules on origin labelling of meat used as an ingredient (such as in bacon and sausages), will be considered by the Commission within two years.
	There are sector specific mandatory origin labelling rules for fresh or frozen beef, veal, fish, shellfish, wine, honey, olive oil, eggs, certain fresh fruit and vegetables and poultry imported from outside the EU.
	We continue to work with industry on ways to improve further transparency in the food chain and, in particular, we are working with the food service sector to improve origin information on food served in catering establishments.

GMOs: Crops

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to hold a public consultation on the use of synthetic animal genes in GM crops.

James Paice: We have no plans to hold a consultation on this matter.

GMOs: Wheat

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment (a) her Department and (b) the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment made of the potential size of the (i) UK, (ii) European and (iii) world market for GM wheat before the application by Rothamsted to carry out a field trial of GM wheat was granted on 15 September 2011.

James Paice: The application from the Rothamsted Research institute was assessed in line with the relevant European Union legislation (Directive 2001/18/EC). The evaluation process focuses on the implications for human health and the environment, and does not have regard to the potential market for the GM organism in question.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed closure of animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales on the diagnostic capability of post-mortems arising from potential changes to the response time between samples being taken from post-mortems and those samples being processed.

James Paice: Currently, there are no plans to close any AHVLA laboratories in England and Wales. While some laboratory services will be migrated, all 16 regional labs will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance activity.
	The majority of samples currently submitted are received by post. Therefore, the proposed changes will not see a delay in test results. The changes will allow AHVLA to reintroduce weekend testing which will improve test turnaround time.
	AHVLA’s capability to respond to disease outbreaks will be maintained as confirmatory tests for notifiable disease are carried out at Weybridge which is not part of the regional laboratory network.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received representations from (a) the Farmers Union of Wales and (b) the National Farmers Union on the proposal to close animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.

James Paice: Concerns have been raised by some farmers, their representatives and other interested parties on plans to migrate some AHVLA laboratory services functions. Many of the representations received were based on the misunderstanding that AHVLA laboratories would close. There are currently no plans to close any AHVLA laboratories in England and Wales. All 16 regional labs will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance. Changes to migrate some laboratory services will not prevent AHVLA’s ability to respond to disease outbreaks. Nor will they impact upon the notifiable disease surveillance work carried out by AHVLA, as confirmatory tests for notifiable diseases are carried out at Weybridge which is not part of the regional laboratory network.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received (a) representations from the chief scientist of her Department and (b) any other representations on the possible biosecurity risks of the proposal to close animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.

James Paice: We have received no such representations as there are currently no plans to close any AHVLA laboratories in England and Wales. While some laboratory services will be migrated, all 16 regional labs will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance activity.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has considered alternative proposals to the closure of animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.

James Paice: There are currently no plans to close any AHVLA laboratories in England and Wales. While some laboratory services will be migrated, all 16 regional labs will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance activity.
	In April 2011, the executive team of AHVLA initiated a review of the delivery of laboratory services across England and Wales. This work followed the earlier AHVLA Sustainable Surveillance Project which recommended that the post-mortem examination of carcasses, which makes up the most valuable aspect of surveillance work, be de-coupled from the provision of laboratory services functions, thus removing the requirement for co-location of the two work areas.
	The review focused on identifying the most efficient delivery model for laboratory services. The model of separating these two areas has been well tested and successful at the university veterinary school surveillance centres at both Liverpool and London for some years and since October 2010 at the Newcastle area, where the majority of laboratory services have been carried out at the AHVLA Thirsk laboratory.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she has undertaken an impact assessment on the proposal to close animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.

James Paice: There are currently no plans to close any AHVLA laboratories in England and Wales. Whilst some laboratory services will be migrated, all 16 regional labs will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance activity.
	An impact assessment was carried out as part of the review of laboratory services and was used to help make the decisions to rationalise the laboratory service.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the proposal to close animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: AHVLA needs to identify more than £3 million of additional savings in 2012-13 in order to live within its spending review settlement. In April 2011 the Executive Team of AHVLA initiated a review of the delivery of laboratory services across England and Wales. This work followed the earlier AHVLA sustainable surveillance project which recommended that the post-mortem examination of carcasses, which makes up the most valuable aspect of surveillance work, be de-coupled from the provision of laboratory services functions, removing the requirement for co-location of the two work areas. The review focused on identifying the most efficient delivery model for laboratory services.
	The model of separating these two areas has been well tested and successful at the university veterinary school surveillance centres at both Liverpool and London for some years and since October 2010 at the Newcastle area, where the majority of laboratory services have been carried out at the AHVLA Thirsk laboratory.
	The requirements for laboratory services will be maintained at the current levels for the foreseeable future. Any future plans for reorganisation will be based on the need to sustain the same levels of testing activity as carried out in 2010-11, with the exception of TSE rapid testing which is currently being outsourced. The review recognises there may be opportunities for further outsourcing and does not preclude further reductions in capacity if changes to demand enable such reductions.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency consulted the Welsh Assembly Government on its proposal to close animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.

James Paice: Currently, there are no plans to close any AHVLA laboratories in England and Wales. Whilst some laboratory services will be migrated, all 16 regional labs will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance activity.
	The laboratory services work carried out at the lab sites at Carmarthen and Aberystwth will continue until March 2013. After this date the laboratories will continue to carry out postmortem surveillance activity.
	The Welsh Government were advised of the plans to rationalise the work that each site carried out.

Veterinary Laboratories: Closures

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency consult (a) workplace unions and (b) employees on its proposal to close animal health and veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.

James Paice: AHVLA has consulted with the unions and employees on the proposed organisational changes at several locations within England and Wales. These changes do not imply or rely on site closures.
	All regional lab sites will continue to carry out post-mortem surveillance. Staff affected by the changes will be given opportunities to redeploy within AHVLA.

Veterinary Services: Drugs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of discounts to vets on the sale of veterinary pharmaceuticals; what assessment she has made of the effects of such discounts on the manufacturers of such products; what representations she has received on the transparency of such discounts; what plans she has to review such discounts; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The purchase of veterinary medicines by practising vets is a commercial matter between them and the suppliers of veterinary pharmaceuticals. The Government do not regulate the price of veterinary medicines.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: New Businesses

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the success rate is of new business start-ups in the creative industries after their first year of operations compared to other business start-ups;
	(2)  what (a) grants and (b) other funding schemes his Department provides for small and medium-sized enterprises in the creative industries.

Hugh Robertson: Responsibility for support to small to medium sized enterprises across the economy and the monitoring of business performance lies with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). My Department works closely with BIS via the creative industries council on these issues.

British Counties

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what support his Department gives to organisations recognising traditional British counties.

John Penrose: Neither the Department nor its arm's length bodies provide funding for organisations recognising traditional British counties.

Cycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many velodromes he has visited on official business in the last 12 months.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) and I have visited the Manchester Velodrome and the Olympic Park Velodrome on official business in the last 12 months.
	In my capacity as Minister for Sport and the Olympics, I have also visited the Herne Hill cycling track for its formal reopening in September and the Gravesend Cyclopark.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) letters and (b) emails his Department has received in respect of digital switchover in the last 12 months.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not keep a central record of all emails received. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of the number of emails received on this subject without incurring disproportionate costs.
	However, I can confirm that the Department has received a total of 146 representations concerning digital switchover in the last 12 months.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of businesses (a) prepared and (b) not prepared for digital switchover;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of households (a) prepared and (b) not prepared for digital switchover.

Edward Vaizey: The Government do not collect these statistics. The matter is primarily one for Digital UK, the independent not-for-profit company leading the implementation of switchover. Digital UK's Tracker survey to September 2011 indicates 93% of UK households are now watching a digital TV service on their main television set. In the London TV region, the figure is 89%. Digital UK does not hold the information requested on the number of businesses prepared for digital switchover, but evidence to date suggests they are usually well prepared. Digital UK provides digital TV switchover information to chambers of commerce and other business organisations as part of its information campaign.

Football Association Premier League

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on proposals to end promotion and relegation for the Premier League.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not received any representations on this matter, which is solely an issue for the football authorities themselves.

Mass Media

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of (a) broadcasting and (b) other media on the possible discontinuation of the use of the terms BC and AD; what his policy is on the practice; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has had no discussions about the use of the terms BC and AD with representatives of the broadcasters or other media. This is a matter for individual broadcasters, publishers and other media companies, which are editorially independent of Government.

Museums and Galleries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department has taken to advertise free museums.

Edward Vaizey: This Department has made no steps to advertise the sponsored museums that offer free admission. Marketing and advertising is an operational matter for each museum.

Olympic Games 2012

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many visits outside London he has made to promote Olympic Legacy in the last 12 months.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), regularly visits the regions to promote Olympic legacy. This will be continued over the next few months as part of a series of regional visits he will be undertaking.

Swimming Pools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many swimming pools he has visited on official business in the last 12 months.

Hugh Robertson: Since his appointment, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has visited the Aquatic Centre on the Olympic Park on a number of occasions, as well as swimming pools in Plymouth and Bath.
	In my capacity as Minister for Sport and the Olympics, I have visited swimming pools in Harlow, Norwich, Ireland, Lincoln, Loughborough, Sheffield, Canterbury, Manchester, Aldershot, and the Aquatic Centre. I have seen British swimmers competing in the Commonwealth Games, visited the Amateur Swimming Association at their home in Loughborough, and met with their chief executive on many occasions.
	I also launched the Big Splash, which is the BBC's mass participation campaign for swimming.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Age: Discrimination

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether her Department has issued guidance and communications in advance of the commencement of the Equality Act 2010 provisionsending harmful age discrimination; and if she will place any such guidance or communications in the Library.

Lynne Featherstone: No guidance on this matter has been issued. Following the public consultation earlier this year, we are currently considering the responses. Details of the commencement of the provision banning age discrimination in services and public functions will be announced in the Government's published response to the consultation in due course. Draft guidance would be published in advance of a commencement of the ban.

Civil Partnerships

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what meetings she (a) has held and (b) plans to hold with religious groups and religious representatives to discuss the proposals for civil marriage for gay and lesbian people.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government announced on 17 September the Government's intention to publish a formal consultation document on equal civil marriage in March 2012. From now until the publication of the consultation myself and officials in the Government Equalities Office will be meeting with a wide range of people with an interest in this issue, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups and religious and non-religious organisations, to help shape the formal consultation document.
	These meetings are scheduled to take place over the coming weeks and are being held on a confidential basis.

Social Mobility

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps the Government Equalities Office is taking to improve social mobility; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government launched the social mobility strategy ‘Opening Doors Breaking Barriers’ in April 2011. The social mobility strategy is alive to the need to develop tailored responses to remove the barriers faced by different people. The Government Equalities Office works closely with the Deputy Prime Minister to help deliver the strategy. Social mobility is also a central component of the Government's equality strategy, ‘Building a Fairer Britain’, that we launched in December last year. This is being implemented with the co-operation of a number of Departments under the supervision of the Inter Ministerial Group on Equalities, which is chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Attorney-General what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in the Law Officers' Departments have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Dominic Grieve: The Law Officers' are committed to participating in the One Day Challenge. Details of related activities will be disclosed by the end of the year.

Law Officers: Cybercrime

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments were employed in the prosecution of cases involving cyber-crime in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; how many he expects to be employed for such purposes in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: Several distinct offences may involve the use of a computer or a network in the commission of or as a target of crime and while the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not have any specific teams or individuals dealing such offences, it does have prosecutors with the skills and knowledge to conduct such prosecutions effectively when required.
	The SFO operates a flexible resourcing policy in order to maximise the effectiveness of its resources across its caseload. This means it is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the number of staff who might have worked on prosecuting crimes involving the use of computers or computer networks.
	The other Law Officers' Departments do not employ anyone directly involved in the prosecution of such crimes.

EDUCATION

English Baccalaureate: Religion

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many representations he has received on the proposed exclusion of religious education from the English baccalaureate.

Nick Gibb: The Department has received 2,776 pieces of correspondence about the decision not to include religious education in the English baccalaureate since September 2010.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty to provide careers guidance services to pupils in schools and sixth form colleges.

John Hayes: holding answer 13 October 2011
	Local authorities have a continuing legal responsibility to encourage, enable and assist the participation of young people in education or training, under section 68 of the Education and Skills Act 2008. There is no statutory duty on local authorities to provide careers guidance but many do so as a means of supporting young people to participate. The Early Intervention Grant will support local authorities' transitional responsibilities for careers guidance until a new duty on schools to secure access to independent careers guidance comes into force from September 2012.
	The Department for Education has not conducted any formal assessment of the capacity of local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties. It is for local authorities to decide how they should meet these responsibilities, taking into account the needs of their local communities. We know that in some areas they are already working with schools to establish sensible transition plans, while in others they are choosing to maintain a full careers service for longer. The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has powers to intervene if a local authority is failing to meet its statutory duties. Any case for intervention will be based on clear evidence of outcomes demonstrating the extent to which young people in an area are participating in education or training, rather than specific inputs such as the way youth support services are organised.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the reduction in the early intervention grant on the capacity of schools to provide careers guidance services.

John Hayes: holding answer 13 October 2011
	The Early Intervention Grant, which is worth £2.2 billion this year, rising to £2.3 billion next year, will help local authorities to support vulnerable young people to engage in education and training, intervening early with those who are at risk of disengagement. Ministers have been clear that in 2011-12 the Early Intervention Grant will support transitional arrangements so that young people have access to impartial careers guidance in advance of the changes proposed in the Education Bill taking effect.
	From September 2012, schools will be placed under a statutory duty to secure access to independent careers guidance for their pupils. It will be schools to determine how they use their resources, including for securing access to careers guidance.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the Fourth Report from the Education Committee, Participation by 16-19 year olds in education and training, HC 850, what assessment he has made of the need for face-to-face careers guidance for young people.

John Hayes: holding answer 13 October 2011
	Subject to the passage of the Education Bill, schools will be placed under a duty from September 2012 to secure independent, impartial careers guidance for their pupils. We should trust schools to make sensible decisions regarding the way in which pupils receive careers guidance, without establishing in primary legislation prescriptive standards or requirements.
	Young people receive advice on their futures from many different sources but some will benefit from face-to-face support that raises their aspirations and guides them onto a successful career path. We will issue statutory guidance to highlight the need for schools to consider this and other essential issues in pursuance of the new duty.

Vocational Education

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent progress he has made in implementing each recommendation of the report on vocational education by Professor Alison Wolf.

Nick Gibb: The Government response to the Wolf Review of Vocational Education, published on 12 May 2011, accepted all 27 of the recommendations of the report in full.
	We have already implemented the following recommendations:
	clarified that schools and colleges are free to offer any vocational qualification offered by a regulated awarding organisation (recommendation 2);
	announced that industry professionals and FE lecturers will be allowed to teach in schools (recommendation 18); and
	reinstated some valued vocational qualifications for teaching from September 2011 (recommendation 23).
	Following a public consultation, we will shortly be announcing plans for judging which qualifications should appear in 14-16 performance tables in the future (recommendations 1-3 and 26).
	We are currently consulting on:
	study programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds (recommendations 5, 6, 9 and 21). This consultation will end on 4 January 2012;
	a new 16 to 19 funding formula (recommendations 11 and 12). This consultation will end on 4 January 2012;
	proposed changes to allow qualified teachers from further education and from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to become permanent teachers in English schools (recommendation 17). This consultation will end on 16 December 2011; and
	removing the statutory duty for schools to provide every young person at key stage 4 with a standard amount of ‘work-related learning’ (recommendation 21). This consultation will end on 4 January 2012.
	All other implementation milestones are on track as set out in the Government response.
	The Wolf Report on Vocational Education and the Government response, including key implementation milestones, can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/16to19/qualificationsandlearning/a0074953/review-of-vocational-education-the-wolf-report

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Afghan interpreters have assisted UK armed forces in Afghanistan since 2001; what plans are in place to ensure their safety after the withdrawal of UK armed forces in 2014; what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on requests by Afghan interpreters to relocate to the UK; how many such requests have been made in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 20 October 2011
	Afghan interpreters working for the UK armed forces in Afghanistan make an invaluable contribution to the UK's efforts to help support the spread of security, stability and development in the country.
	The Ministry of Defence's labour support unit, which looks after the welfare of our Afghan employed staff, estimates that since their records began in March 2006 the Department has employed around 2,000 to 2,400 interpreters. Information on this subject before the establishment of the labour support unit was not routinely retained and the information required to provide a more detailed figure for the subsequent period is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We take our responsibility for all those we employ very seriously and have put in place measures to reduce the risks that they face, and we continually keep our policy under review. Where staff face a serious threat our options include providing protected accommodation, giving safety advice to them and their families, granting extended leave or transferring staff to different jobs. In serious cases we may help staff relocate, either within Afghanistan, to a third country or, in exceptional cases, to the UK. We have received one such request by an Afghan interpreter assisting UK forces in the past 12 months.

Armed Forces: Officers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy officers of the rank of (a) captain and (b) commodore currently hold (i) sea-going and (ii) shore-based posts; what changes in the numbers of each of these categories he anticipates in the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Currently there are: 64 Royal Navy commodores and four acting commodores, two hold specific deployable sea appointments; seven hold operational, NATO and Defence diplomacy appointments, the remainder are categorised as shore-based. There are 233 Royal Navy captains and 12 acting captains, 14 of whom hold specific sea-going appointments, 45 hold operational, NATO, Defence diplomacy, and Defence intelligence appointments, the remainder are categorised as shore-based.
	As part of Defence reform, the future structure of the Royal Navy is currently under review. The details are still to be determined.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Rheinmetall Landsysteme Fuchs Reconnaissance vehicle to be removed from service; what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse of such a removal; and what vehicle he expects to replace them.

Peter Luff: The Fuchs vehicle was withdrawn from service in August this year. This will achieve a total saving to the public purse of approximately £235 million over the next 10 years. A decision on the future of the vehicles has yet to be taken.
	The removal of Fuchs is possible due to the transfer of specialist Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) responsibilities from the Joint CBRN Regiment, which is being disbanded, to the Defence CBRN Wing. The reductions in manpower and other expenditure associated with this will save the Department approximately £129 million. In addition the Department will save around £13 million in support costs and around £93 million on mid-life vehicle upgrades and replacement vehicles.
	We will continue to have a robust and effective specialist CBRN capability. The changes do not affect homeland CBRN protection.

Defence Business Services National Security Vetting

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 October 2011, Official Report, columns 17-18WS, on Defence Vetting Agency: removal of agency status, what assessment he has made of the effect that the entry of the Defence Vetting Agency into the Defence Business Service organisation will have on delivery of the vetting functions for the (a) armed forces and (b) intelligence agencies.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Vetting Agency's (DVA) move into the Defence Business Services (DBS) organisation, and its re-naming as DBS National Security Vetting will have no impact on the delivery of the vetting functions for the armed forces and intelligences agencies.
	DBS will remain part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The change in operating status for DBS National Security Vetting will enable the MOD to bring together the delivery of corporate services under one organisation and maximise efficiency whilst ensuring the delivery of vetting service is maintained for the MOD, its industry contractors and other Government Departments.

Defence Business Services National Security Vetting

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 October 2011, Official Report, columns 17-18WS, on Defence Vetting Agency: removal of agency status, what arrangements are in place to ensure that the removal of agency status from the Defence Vetting Agency will not affect (a) security or (b) service delivery in vetting applicants for the (i) armed forces and (ii) intelligence agencies.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Vetting Agency (DVA)'s loss of agency status, necessitated by its move into the Defence Business Services (DBS) organisation, will not affect security or service delivery in vetting applicants for the armed forces and intelligence agencies.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s corporate services board chaired by the 2(nd) Permanent Secretary will monitor the delivery and standard of the MOD'S vetting functions as part of its oversight of the new DBS organisation. The DVA, under its new title DBS National Security Vetting, will maintain its relationship with the Cabinet Office on national security vetting policy issues, and with repayment customers through joint business agreements.

Defence Business Services National Security Vetting

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 October 2011, Official Report, columns 17-18WS, on Defence Vetting Agency: removal of agency status, if he will produce and publish a report on the work carried out by the Defence Vetting Agency between the date of the last annual report of the agency and 1 October 2011.

Andrew Robathan: An annual report and accounts will not be published on the work carried out by the Defence Vetting Agency (DVA) between 1 April 2011 and 1 October 2011. There will be no requirement from the National Audit Office to prepare a statement of annual report and accounts for financial year 2011-12 as Executive agency status was removed before the completion of a full financial year.

Departmental Location

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants in his Department have been (a) relocated and (b) agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the UK.

Andrew Robathan: Some employees have to change jobs for legal reasons, for example to meet a Disability Discrimination Act requirement, or to meet urgent departmental needs. The new job may be outside of reasonable daily travel of the civil servant's home or involve additional travel costs. Where this is the case, the Department may decide to assist with those relocation costs, either with a move of home at public expense, or more often, limited help with the extra travel costs in the initial period. As part of a reorganisation or restructure within a business area it may also be necessary to relocate work and the posts associated with that work. This may mean an employee is moved into a specific job, or a group of staff may be moved with their jobs to another location. Additionally many employees change posts but do not attract any relocation allowances.
	The number of staff within the 12 month period (1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011) who have moved jobs and been offered assistance with relocation expenses, either a move of home at public expense or more commonly limited assistance with travel expenses are detailed in the following table and set out by new post area.
	
		
			 New relocation area Number of staff 
			 East midlands 35 
			 East of England 196 
			 London 253 
			 North-east 7 
			 North-west 116 
			 Northern Ireland 60 
			 Scotland 64 
			 South-east 373 
			 South-west 1,250 
			 Wales 12 
			 West midlands 124 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 20 
			 Total 2,510 
		
	
	A large number of employees are issued with change of job notices but many are not eligible for relocation assistance because the moves are in close proximity to their existing job and/or home or because relocation allowances were not offered. However, some employees who have been designated to move with their job to a new location receive advance notice of their job move. The number of staff within the 12 month period (1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011) who have had notice that they and their job is moving to a new area because of reorganisation or restructuring is detailed in the following table; and set out by new post area. However, many of the following may have already submitted relocation claims in the period and so will be included in the numbers given in the first table. These could not be separated without incurring disproportionate cost
	
		
			 New relocation area Number of staff 
			 East midlands 6 
			 East of England 156 
			 London 101 
			 North-west 82 
			 Overseas 8 
			 Scotland 9 
			 South-east 75 
			 South-west 920 
			 West midlands 9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 20 
			 Total 1,386

Departmental Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts of a monetary value of (a) between £100,000 and £500,000, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £1 million and £5 million, (d) between £5 million and £10 million, (e) between £10 million and £50 million, (f) between £50 million and £100 million, (g) between £100 million and £500 million, (h) between £500 million and £1 billion, (i) between £1 billion and £5 billion and (j) over £5 billion his Department has entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990.

Peter Luff: The following table shows the total number of new Ministry of Defence contracts in each financial year from 2001-02, by contact value at the time the contract was placed.
	
		
			 Total number of new contracts in financial year by contract value at set up stage 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Over £5 billion 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 £1 to £5 billion 1 1 3 2 0 2 2 3 0 0 
			 £500 million to £l billion 0 3 0 3 7 2 1 3 3 3 
			 £100 to £500 million 11 16 10 10 14 6 14 15 17 9 
			 £50 to £100 million 16 15 8 12 12 19 14 17 7 3 
			 £10 to £50 million 73 84 87 81 62 63 103 87 75 86 
			 £5 to £10 million 86 117 80 89 87 80 82 110 77 75 
			 £1 to £5 million 419 681 497 516 448 376 380 382 350 304 
			 £500,000 to £1 million 314 550 388 372 318 286 300 274 266 242 
			 £100,000 to £500,000 1,528 1,847 1,655 1,414 1,247 1,186 1,367 1,244 1,200 1,010 
			 Total 2,448 3,314 2,728 2,499 2,195 2,021 2,264 2,135 1,995 1,732 
		
	
	As a consequence of system changes, the Ministry of Defence could provide equivalent information for earlier years only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many days on average his Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2010-11.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes a robust approach to managing civilian sickness absence. Occupational health and well-being advice and support is available to all employees and line managers. A review of absence policies has ensured that they remain relevant.
	Sickness absence rates by average working days lost (AWDL) per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee in the MOD for the 12 months ending 30 June 2011 (the latest information available) is shown in the following table.
	The table includes non-industrial and industrial staff and the staff of the four MOD trading funds but excludes staff in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians for whom sickness absence data is not readily available.
	
		
			 FTE rates  (1, 2) 
			 Grade (Equivalent)  (3) AWDL 1 July 2010-30 June 2011 Average FTE strength 
			 Administrative assistant 11.55 9,043 
			 Administrative officer 9.36 24,462 
			 Executive officer 7.73 11,882 
			 Higher executive officer 6.09 11,260 
			 Senior executive officer 4.73 7,023 
			 Grade 7 3.47 2,765 
			 Grade 6 2.70 774 
			 Senior civil servant 1.48 299 
			 Unknown 5.94 2,315 
			 (1) Data presented reflects the current Cabinet Office definition, setting a maximum absence of 225 days per person, and excludes data for weekends, annual leave and bank holidays. Excludes staff who have been classed as on zero pay. (2) Average working days lost per FTE are calculated by dividing the total working days lost for each period by a weighted average of the 1st of the month strengths for the period, with the strengths at the 1 January at the start and end of the period receiving a weighting of 0.5, and the strengths at the 1st of the other months in the period a weighting of. 1. (3) Equivalent civil service grades have been used to amalgamate the various MOD non-industrial, industrial and trading fund grades.

Depleted Uranium

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether officials in his Department have had recent discussions with their counterparts in (a) the US and (b) other countries engaged in armed conflict on policy on the use of depleted uranium weapons during armed conflicts; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 18 October 2011
	There have been no such recent policy discussions. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 May 2011, Official Report, columns 339-340W, to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas).

Frigates: Design

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in determining the design of the next generation of frigates for the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The design of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme is progressing as scheduled and will be determined as part of its assessment phase, which is expected to complete by early 2014.

Military Bases: Edinburgh

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 879, on military bases, what time scale his Department has set for the phased disposal of the three Defence Estate sites in Edinburgh.

Andrew Robathan: No time scale has as yet been established for the proposed phased disposal of the Edinburgh sites, but sales are currently envisaged to take place over a number of years.

Ministry of Defence Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment criteria he plans to use to determine the future size of the Ministry of Defence Police; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: Following the comprehensive spending review and the strategic defence and security review, consideration has been given to a range of options that will determine the Department's future requirement for the services and capabilities provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police to focus these resources on those areas where civil policing powers can best mitigate the crime and security risks faced by the MOD.
	These options are currently the subject of formal consultation with the relevant staff associations and trade unions, and as such it would be inappropriate to go into specific detail at this stage.

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: All Ministry of Defence civil servants, other than those undertaking activities which can only be carried out from within Government or by Crown servants, have a right to apply to take over the running of the service they provide.
	Any applications are assessed against a number of criteria, not least of which is that the proposal must deliver value for money. The Department has provided support to three employee proposals so far. One is not being taken further and the others remain ongoing.

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: All Ministry of Defence civil servants, other than those undertaking activities which can only be carried out from within Government or by Crown servants, have a right to apply to take over the running of the service they provide.
	Any applications are assessed against a number of criteria, not least of which is that the proposal must deliver value for money. The Department has provided support to three employee proposals so far. One is not being taken further and the others remain ongoing.
	The number of opportunities is likely to be limited due to the complex support chains and security considerations.

RFA Largs Bay

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the overall cost to his Department was of the construction and equipping of RFA Largs Bay, up to the date when she joined the fleet.

Peter Luff: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy) on 17 March 2011, Official Report, column 506W.

Terrorism: Chemical and Biological Warfare

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military locations in the UK have been considered as potential sites for accommodating the victims of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack.

Nick Harvey: In the event of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident within the UK, the local authority is responsible for the provision of emergency shelter. Local authorities through local resilience forums routinely consider the use of Defence real estate and accommodation in circumstances where other provision is overloaded. This includes providing for the victims of a CBRN attack. However information on which sites have been considered for such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Palestine

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the admission of Palestine to the United Nations.

Alistair Burt: President Abbas submitted the Palestinian application for full membership of the UN on 23 September. No vote is imminent in the Security Council, while the membership committee considers its recommendation. So far we have not been presented with a detailed proposal on which to take a position. Whether the committee returns the issue to the Security Council, or whether president Abbas decides to turn to the General Assembly, the UK will use its vote in a way which increases the likelihood of a return to meaningful negotiations.

Jewish/Arab Relations

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to projects promoting co-existence between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel.

Alistair Burt: In 2010-11, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is funding a number of projects, through the Middle East and North Africa Conflict Pool, on co-existence including enhancing the capacity of Arab entrepreneurs to access increased employment opportunities in the Israeli High-Tech sector.
	We are also providing funding to train and support the placement of Arabic teachers into Jewish schools as part of a cultural bridge programme.

Israel

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent settlement announcements by the Israeli government.

Alistair Burt: The position of this Government on settlements is unequivocal—settlements are illegal, provocative and a significant obstacle to peace. They must stop. I was dismayed at the announcement of the Israeli Government of 14 October for plans of a new settlement at Givat Hamatos, and I reiterate my call for this plan and that for other settlements to be revoked.

Polish EU Presidency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the priorities of the Polish presidency of the EU; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK has worked closely with Poland during its presidency of the EU to make progress on measures to promote free trade, complete the single market and boost competitiveness. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), said after the European Council, this is a strong British agenda and one we've been arguing for years.
	In addition, I attended the Eastern Partnership summit in Warsaw with the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg). We worked with Poland and other EU partners to ensure that a powerful signal was sent to our eastern neighbours that integration with the EU depends upon their commitment to reform.

Zimbabwe

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of bilateral relations with Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Zimbabwe remains very important to the UK. This is reflected in our £80 million Aid programme; providing essential services to the people of Zimbabwe.
	We have contact with all parties in the Inclusive Government and are continuing our policy of supporting reformers, including in the region, as they work towards free and fair elections.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are based in Zimbabwe.

Henry Bellingham: There are approximately 70 staff working at our embassy in Harare. This includes UK-based civil servants and staff employed locally. For operational and security reasons, we cannot provide a more detailed breakdown.

Syria

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iranian involvement in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Credible information shows that Iran is continuing to provide equipment and technical advice to help the Syrian regime suppress the legitimate demands of protestors in Syria. Such support is unacceptable. As elsewhere in the region, protestors in Syria must be allowed to express their legitimate aspirations and call for change without fear of brutal repression.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to promote trade between countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Henry Bellingham: My Department is working with the Departments for International Development and Business, Innovation and Skills in support of the African Free Trade Initiative (AFTI), which was launched in February this year. This initiative comprises an ongoing programme of activity. For example, last month our high commissioner in Kenya participated in an Infrastructure Investment Conference in Nairobi, which was supported by DFID, to encourage public and private investment in infrastructure projects in East Africa.

Libya

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Libya; and what recent discussions he has had with the National Transitional Council.

Alistair Burt: The Declaration of National Liberation on 23 October represents a historic victory for the people of Libya in their struggle for freedom. We welcome the National Transitional Council's confirmation that they will form an inclusive Transitional Government and work towards democratic elections.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), visited Tripoli on 17 October and had discussions with National Transitional Council Chairman Jalil on a range of issues.

Bangladesh

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of bilateral relations with Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Relations between the UK and Bangladesh are strong. We cooperate closely in a number of key areas, including climate change, poverty reduction, human rights and counter-terrorism. We engage regularly with the Bangladesh Government on these issues, including through our substantial development programme.

Pakistan

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Pakistani authorities' attempts to tackle violent extremism in that country.

Alistair Burt: The threat from violent extremism is one we share with Pakistan. And we continue to work with and encourage Pakistan to take even more steps in its fight against violent extremism; Pakistan's enemy is our enemy. Pakistani authorities continue to highlight the voices of terrorist victims to audiences across the country and are actively working on deradicalisation work.

Afghanistan: Females

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to increase international support for women's rights in Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: The international community has made clear its support for women's rights as set out in the International Security in Afghanistan Forces (ISAF) declaration at the NATO Lisbon summit held in November 2010, which stressed
	“the importance of Afghanistan standing by its constitutional and international obligations on human rights, particularly regarding the rights of women, and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.”
	We continue to work closely with international partners and international civil society organisations to uphold women's rights in Afghanistan. This includes participation in the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission donor group and the EU Human Rights Working Group.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he is giving to establish a dialogue between the government of Bahrain and those who took part in demonstrations earlier in 2011.

Alistair Burt: As a long standing friend of Bahrain, the UK stands ready to assist in efforts towards reform and reconciliation. We continue to stress the importance of open dialogue to bring long-term stability and encourage the Bahraini authorities and opposition groups to show real leadership through constructive engagement. I have discussed this with the Bahraini ambassador and our embassy in Bahrain is also in regular contact with the authorities there.

Colombia: Human Rights

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise concerns about human rights with the President of Colombia during the latter's forthcoming visit to the UK.

Jeremy Browne: Human rights remain an integral part of our relationship with Colombia and we regularly raise human rights with senior members of the Colombian Government. Our discussions with President Santos during his visit will cover a range of issues, including human rights, as well as trade, prosperity, international cooperation, climate change, science and innovation and counter-narcotics.

Departmental Meetings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with representatives of (a) social enterprises, (b) charities, (c) large private sector businesses and (d) small and medium-sized private sector businesses since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/#Ministers

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2010-11.

David Lidington: In 2010-11, total global spend on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines, as well as electronic subscriptions, was £2.2 million down by 9% from £2.4 million in 2009-10, a figure which was given by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) of 4 February 2011, Official Report, column 1001W. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has partly achieved savings by partnering with other Government Departments to obtain best value when purchasing these goods and services.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how many days on average his Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2010-11.

Henry Bellingham: This information is being collated and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as it is available.

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

David Lidington: Ministers carry out their duties in line with the Ministerial Code. Any volunteering activities in a personal capacity are a private matter for them. Relevant interests, which may include voluntary activities, are published by the Cabinet Office in the List of Ministers' Interests at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/list-ministers-interests

Egypt: Elections

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information has been received by his Department about the process under which the elections in Egypt will be conducted.

Alistair Burt: The parliamentary elections in Egypt are governed by laws which define the registration of political parties, the electoral system and the powers of the Higher Electoral Commission. The elections to the Lower House are due to begin on 28 November and run in three rounds until January 2012, and those to the Upper House to run between January and March 2012. The first joint session of the two houses is due to take place on 24 March.
	No date has been set for presidential elections, although the Supreme Council of the armed forces has indicated possible dates of March or April 2013.
	We will continue to encourage the Egyptian authorities to set out a transparent timetable for the transition to democratic government, with plural and open elections witnessed by the international community, and a process of inclusive national dialogue.

Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department will be sending representatives to the conference on social media and human rights in (a) Sweden on 16 November 2011 and (b) Silicon Valley on 25 and 26 October 2011.

Jeremy Browne: The Government strongly support freedom of expression on the internet, and engaging with civil society and experts from academia, non-governmental offices and the private sector is crucial to our understanding of a complex set of issues. The Silicon Valley Human Rights Conference on 25 and 26 October will explore how high-tech industries can plan for and manage the human rights implications of their technologies. The Head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights and Democracy Department will take part.
	Our embassy in Stockholm has received an invitation to a round-table discussion on social media and human rights on 16 November and is planning to participate.

Iran: Prisoners

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Iranian Government on the imprisonment and sentencing of actress, Marzieh Vafamehr.

Alistair Burt: The UK is aware of the shocking sentence of one year and 90 lashes handed to Marzieh Vafamehr, allegedly for her role in the film ‘My Tehran for sale’. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials spoke to the Iranian chargé d’affaires in London on 20 October 2011 to seek clarification of Ms Vafamehr's charges. The UK believes that such state-sanctioned corporal punishment has no place in the modern world and urges the Iranian authorities to review this case and the reported sentence.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are based in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Henry Bellingham: There are approximately 12 staff working at the governor’s office in Grand Turk. This includes UK-based civil servants and Turks and Caicos Islands Government staff. In addition, the UK Government are providing the Turks and Caicos Islands Government with support from a number of short and medium-term specialist advisers.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of gun crime were reported in the Turks and Caicos Islands in each of the last five years.

Henry Bellingham: The cases of gun crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands from 2009-11 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009 63 
			 2010 124 
			 2011 (to date) 45 
		
	
	I will send my hon. Friend the figures for 2007 and 2008 by letter as soon as they are provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police force.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Reported crimes currently remain low with the majority being acquisitive crime such as theft and burglary. Armed robberies, some against tourists, and aggravated burglaries, while still relatively small in number, continue to be of concern.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Police

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many police officers are on secondment from UK police forces to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Henry Bellingham: There are no serving UK police force staff seconded to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police force.
	There are a number of former UK officers providing specialist advice and support including in the cold case unit, the community policing unit and the joint intelligence unit. All are on contract until next year.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Radar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 633W, on Turks and Caicos Islands: radar, what have been the costs to date of keeping elements of the Turks and Caicos Islands Coastal Radar System Project in storage awaiting installation.

Henry Bellingham: The total storage cost for the equipment for Costal Radar Station was US $34,949.67.

Zimbabwe: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK’s relations with Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Zimbabwe remains very important to the UK and this is reflected in our £80 million Aid programme this financial year which will provide essential services to the people of Zimbabwe.
	The British Government have contact with all parties in the Inclusive Government. We are continuing our policy of supporting reformers, including in the wider southern Africa region, as they work with these parties to agree steps towards free and fair elections.

Zimbabwe: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has recently had discussions with his counterpart in Zimbabwe.

Henry Bellingham: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has not met his Zimbabwean counterpart, Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwe. However, in my role as Minister of Africa, I met Minister Mumbengegwe on 23 September at the UN General Assembly in New York.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he intends to accept the offer by the Committee on Climate Change to provide information and advice on how local authorities can reduce their carbon emissions.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Yes.

Climate Change

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2011, Official Report, columns 1249-50W, on climate change, what estimate has been made of the cost to the consumer of implementing policies on climate change beyond the Budget period up to (a) 2020 and (b) 2030.

Gregory Barker: DECC published an assessment of the impact of climate change and energy polices on energy prices and bills for households and business consumers in 2010, 2015 and 2020 alongside the July 2010 Annual Energy Statement available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/price_bill_imp/pricebillimp.aspx
	The headline results were that energy and climate change policies were estimated to add around 1% (£13 in real 2009 prices) to the average household energy bill in 2020 (compared to what the bill would have been in the same year in the absence of policies). No estimate was made for these impacts in 2030.
	An updated assessment of the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills for households and businesses will be published alongside the Annual Energy Statement in the autumn reflecting policy developments over the last year.

Departmental Allowances

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much members of his departmental management board have claimed in expenses since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Details of expenses claimed between May 2010 and June 2011 are provided at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/who_we_are/management/management.aspx
	Details of expenses from June 2011 to September 2011 will be published in due course.
	DECC Ministers do not claim expenses from the Department for carrying out daily departmental business or duties.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000.

Gregory Barker: Pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000 have been eliminated for the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has advertised 40 contracts on the Contracts Finder website since May 2010. We do not hold details of estimated contract values for eight of the contracts advertised prior to November 2010. The value of the remaining 32 contracts was £21,607,400.00 and is split down by month in the following table.
	
		
			  Value (£) 
			 May 2010 n/a 
			 Jun 2010 n/a 
			 July 2010 n/a 
			 August 2010 2,000,000.00 
			 September 2010 n/a 
			 October 2010 n/a 
			 November 2010 630,000.00 
			 December 2010 182,000.00 
			 January 2011 717,200.00 
			 February 2011 0.00 
			 March 2011 85,000.00 
			 April 2011 10,349,000.00 
			 May 2011 394,000.00 
			 June 2011 130,700.00 
			 July 2011 0.00 
			 August 2011 19,500.00 
			 September 2011 5,100,000.00 
			 October 2011 2,000,000.00 
		
	
	No contracts were awarded to third sector organisations. The Department does not currently record the size of the companies to whom it has awarded contracts and it would incur disproportionate cost to establish this information. However, out of the 40 contracts advertised, 19 were suitable for small business to apply for.

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. and hon. Friends and I are actively involved with numerous charities on a private basis including those detailed in the list of Ministers' interests, published by the Cabinet Office.

Energy: Industry

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's climate change policies on energy intensive industries.

Gregory Barker: The Department is examining the impact of climate change policies on energy intensive industries as part of its work to develop a package of measures to assist those energy intensive businesses whose international competitiveness is most affected by our energy and climate change policies, in order to reduce the impact of Government policy on the cost of electricity for these businesses. The Department is working with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills and HM Treasury on the development of the package.

Energy: Industry

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what guidance his Department has given on emissions reduction and decarbonisation to energy intensive industries.

Gregory Barker: The Department has established climate change agreements with energy intensive industry whereby agreement holders receive a 65% discount from the climate change levy in return for meeting demanding energy efficiency targets. More generally, it is for industry to seek advice on energy efficiency from sources available, including the Carbon Trust.

Energy: Prices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the cost of requiring energy companies to write to customers on how they can achieve a cheaper tariff, prior to the energy summit on 17 October 2011; and whether he sought agreement that such costs should not be passed on to consumers.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 24 October 2011
	The cost of sending this letter is dependent on the billing system of each supplier, but we would expect it to be low, as suppliers write to their customers about other matters and are required to inform them about the difference between what they pay and the supplier's standard direct debit tariff annually.
	Ofgem have estimated that during 2010 a dual fuel customer paying by cash or cheque would have saved between £37 and £126 had they switched to a standard direct debit offer at the beginning of the year.
	Information about Ofgem's estimates are available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/RMR_Appendices.pdf

Green Deal Scheme

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage the installation of micro combined heat and power systems as part of (a) the Green Deal and (b) the Warm Front scheme.

Gregory Barker: Micro combined heat and power systems will qualify for Green Deal finance. Whether micro CHP is recommended for a given property, and the amount of finance offered, will be depend on the individual, circumstances.
	There is provision in the Warm Front Regulations for the scheme to offer, where appropriate, alternative technologies. However, at this time we are not intending to include micro combined heat and power systems among the alternative technologies available through the scheme.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the consultation on the secondary legislation to implement the Green Deal will commence.

Gregory Barker: We recently received Royal Assent to the primary legislation on 18 October, now the Energy Act 2011, which was a significant milestone. We expect to commence consultation on secondary legislation shortly.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that all businesses are able to participate in the Green Deal; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: I can confirm that the Green Deal is open to all businesses. We are about to publish our consultation on the Green Deal and I would encourage everyone to look at our proposed model and send us their views. We will then consider and aim to publish our response in spring 2012.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive work together effectively; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: We have announced that microgeneration technologies will be eligible Green Deal measures if they generate savings on fuel bills. We are also designing the Green Deal and Renewable Heat Incentive policy and legislative frameworks that ensure both programmes can work alongside each other.

Miriam Maes

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  whether Ministers from his Department have had official meetings with Miriam Maes without an official being present since May 2010;
	(2)  what meetings have been attended by Miriam Maes in her role as an adviser to his Department since September 2010.

Gregory Barker: All staff working for the Department, including consultants, attend meetings with Ministers and others as necessary in the course of their official duties.

Oil: Refineries

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the (a) current profit margin of UK refineries in US dollars per barrel and (b) the potential additional cost per barrel to UK refineries if the EU decides not to apply a common default value to crude oil in respect of greenhouse gases; whether he has assessed if UK refineries would have to close under such circumstances; what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Transport in respect of their participation in the consultation on the European Commission Directive on Fuel Quality; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Work conducted for DECC in 2011 by the consultancy Purvin and Gertz shows both gross and net refining margins across a range of international oil refineries including those in the UK. Gross margins are shown to cover a range from approximately $4 to $6 per barrel for UK refineries.
	There was no impact assessment associated with the proposals to implement article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive brought forward by the Commission on 3 October and the detail of the proposals has still to be negotiated. It is therefore not possible to come to a definitive view on the costs of implementation at this stage. However the Department is in close contact with the Department for Transport, who lead on this dossier, and we are seeking clarification from the Commission of how they envisage these measures working and what they believe the likely associated costs would be.

Oil: Refineries

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the extent to which crude oil may be diverted to refineries outside the EU if a common default value in respect of greenhouse gases is not applied to crude oil.

Charles Hendry: How such varied default values would impact on crude oil flows would depend on the extent of the differentiation between crudes.
	Under the current Commission proposal to implement the Fuel Quality Directive we would expect the vast majority of crudes processed in the UK to fall under the single conventional crude category.

Oil: Refineries

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the effect on UK fuel security of oil refining being relocated outside the UK; what information his Department holds on any impact assessment by the European Commission of not applying a common default value to crude oil; what discussions on these issues he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: While our security of supply is enhanced by the retention of a refining sector in the UK as this balances product reliance between the market for crude oil and refined products, it is operators and investors in the market who are best placed to determine how best to meet evolving product demand. DECC officials are, however, working in conjunction with the industry and other Government Departments to develop a strategic policy framework for the refining industry.
	The Commission has not provided an impact assessment for its recent proposals to implement article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive. My officials remain in close contact with the Department for Transport on these proposals and how best to implement the requirements of the Fuel Quality Directive.

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the maintenance cost was for the Sellafield nuclear site in (a) 2011-12 to date and (b) each of the last five years.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 24 October 2011
	The NDA currently reports the breakdown of annual spend in the following categories:
	New construction projects
	Commercial operations
	Decommissioning and termination
	Waste and nuclear materials management
	Site support and services
	The maintenance cost for Sellafield Ltd Site Licence Company primarily fall into the commercial and waste and nuclear materials management operations categories. The following table shows the maintenance cost for Sellafield Ltd in (a) 2011-12 to date and (b) each of the last five years. The numbers relate to specific routine maintenance activities. It excludes expenditure on major plant enhancement and replacement programmes and overhead allocation.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-  12 year to September 2011 
			 Maintenance cost within Commercial Operations 61 75 81 93 90 38 
			 Maintenance cost within Waste and Nuclear Materials Management 64 74 83 111 107 44 
			 Total 131 149 164 204 197 82

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much of the fund for UK ports to support offshore wind infrastructure and capability his Department has allocated to date; how many companies have received funding; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Bids for support under this scheme are made on a confidential basis. Under the Grant for Business Investment scheme, information on grant offers for sums greater than £75,000 is normally published following the payment of the first instalment of the grant, including the name and location of the recipient of the grant and the size of the grant offered.
	The scheme is not open to port-only applications. Our objective for this funding is to support the development of offshore wind manufacturing capacity, which will need to be at coastal locations. We therefore expect all applications to involve large scale manufacturing proposals and to be led either by a manufacturer, or to be jointly led by a port/landowner and a manufacturer.

WALES

Departmental Advertising

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010.

David Jones: There has been no expenditure on advertising vacancies in the period since May 2010.

Departmental Meetings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many meetings she has had with representatives of (a) social enterprises, (b) charities, (c) large private sector businesses and (d) small and medium-sized private sector businesses since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), regularly meets a variety of organisations. Presenting the information in the format requested would incur disproportionate cost. Meetings with external organisations are listed on the Wales Office's website.

HEALTH

Abortion

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs have contacted his Department to express a conscientious objection to abortion in the last 12 months.

Anne Milton: In the last 12 months, the Department has received one letter via my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders) on behalf of a general practitioner constituent about conscientious objection to abortion. The Department does not maintain a register of doctors who express a conscientious objection to abortion.
	Section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967 makes provision for conscientious objection and health professionals should follow relevant professional guidance in this area.

Ambulance Services: Emergency Calls

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average response time was for ambulances responding to emergency call-outs in Great Yarmouth constituency in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many ambulances responded to emergency call-outs within (a) eight minutes and (b) 19 minutes in Great Yarmouth constituency in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: Information on average ambulance response times and the number of ambulances that have responded to emergency calls in specific locations is not collected centrally.
	Data on performance against ambulance response time targets is collected at ambulance trust level only and is published annually by the. NHS Information Centre for health and social care in the statistical bulletin “Ambulance Services England”. These documents are available on the NHS Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/ambulance
	The area referred to within the question falls within East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Prior to 2006 East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust was made up of the following ambulance trusts:
	Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust
	Essex Ambulance NHS Trust
	East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust
	Data prior to 2004-05 was published by the Department. This data is available back to 1998 on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/health/category/publications/reports-publications/

Ambulances

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what involvement his Department has had in the development of the next generation of ambulances.

Simon Burns: This is an operational matter and is being taken forward by ambulance trusts working collaboratively with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and University of the West of England.
	The Department of Health National Ambulance Director has been involved in the work surrounding the new emergency ambulance design over the last five years.

Departmental Management Consultants

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 827W, on departmental spend on management consultants, how much has been spent on management consultants in (a) the NHS and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental bodies in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The amounts spent by the national health service and the Department's agencies and non-departmental bodies in each of the last five years on consultancy services are shown in the following table. Although not specified in the question, special health authorities have been included to provide a response that covers all of the Department's executive arm's length bodies.
	Officials are retrieving the data for Connecting for Health for the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08. I will write to the right hon. Member with the information in due course and place a copy in the Library.
	
		
			 Consultancy expenditure, 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 
			 NHS bodies (excluding foundation trusts)(1) 291,047 455,213 419,579 308,462 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Executive non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and special health authorities(2,3) 7,743 24,048 11,324 8,183 8,437 
			 Connecting for Health 5,000 6,300 19,200 n/a n/a 
			 (1) Primary care trusts (PCTs), strategic health authorities (SHAs) and NHS trusts. The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust. Data for consultancy services expenditure were collected from NHS bodies for the first time in 2007-08. (2) Figures included for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) are for ‘professional and administrative fees’. This category includes litigation and other legal costs as well as expenditure on consultancy services, which cannot be separately identified. (3) Figures included for the Care Quality Commission do not include external legal advice. It is not possible to identify how much of this expenditure falls within the definition of “consultancy services”. Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules. 
		
	
	This corrects the information given in my answer to the hon. Member on 17 October 2011, Official Report, columns 783-85W, for which a revised table is provided as follows:
	
		
			 £000 
			  2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 
			 Pharmaceutical products(1) 10,032,337 9,870,045 9,808,634 9,813,375 9,708,351 
			 IT equipment(2) 219,415 204,016 261,115 253,230 205,327 
			 IT services(3) 186,760 190,066 207,703 194,276 203,080 
			 Hospital equipment(4) 1,864,925 1,934,726 2,061,014 2,016,868 2,024,840 
			 (1) Includes primary care prescribing (primary care trusts (PCTs)) and drugs used in secondary, care (PCTs and NHS trusts). Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules (prescribing costs) and NHS financial returns (drugs). (2) Capital expenditure (purchased additions to non-current assets) under the ‘IT’ heading PCTs, strategic health authorities (SHAs) and NHS trusts). The figures do not include revenue expenditure on IT equipment, which is not separately identifiable from the financial data held. Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules. (3) Revenue expenditure on maintenance and data processing contracts (PCTs, SHAs and NHS trusts). Source: NHS financial returns. (4) Revenue expenditure on the purchase and maintenance of medical, surgical, x-ray and laboratory equipment. The figures do not include capital expenditure on hospital equipment, which is not separately identifiable from the financial data held. Source: NHS financial returns. (5) Consultancy services (PCTs, SHAs and NHS trusts). Data for consultancy services expenditure were collected for the first time in 2007-08. Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules. 
		
	
	The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there has been any change to his Department’s policy on the use of the private finance initiative since April 2010.

Simon Burns: The Government confirmed they remain committed to public-private partnerships, including the private finance initiative (PFI), in new policy guidance published by HM Treasury in December 2010. PFI proposals will continue to be considered on a case by case basis and must be demonstrably value for money and affordable.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations (i) Ministers and (ii) senior officials in his Department have spoken in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), gave on 20 October 2011, Official Report, columns 1078-79W.
	A list of speaking engagements undertaken by senior staff in the Department could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Simon Burns: The Department’s Ministers are pleased to support the one day volunteering challenge, the initiative announced in the Giving White Paper on 23 May 2011. Some Ministers will be regularly involved with charities or local voluntary and community organisations in their capacities as Members of Parliament, and some Ministers will be involved in such activity on a private basis. Relevant voluntary work with charities is recorded in the list of Ministers’ interests published by the Cabinet Office.

Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the Appointments Commission using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10;
	(2)  what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the Health Protection Agency using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10;
	(3)  what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the Human Tissue Authority using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10;
	(4)  what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by NHS Blood and Transplant using the Government Procurement Card was in 2009-10;
	(5)  what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the NHS Business Services Authority using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10;
	(6)  what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Simon Burns: The documents containing the information requested, where available, have been placed in the Library.
	Data provided by the Appointments Commission covers transactions between 23 September 2009 and 31 March 2010 which their service provider was able to access through their on-line query system. Information before this period is held in paper format and would require manual extraction, which would incur disproportionate costs.
	Data provided by the Health Protection Agency covers the last four months of financial year 2009-10. Earlier records are only available subject to service provider's contractual terms of two to three weeks, and a fee.
	NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) has provided supplier details from February 2009 onwards. Information prior to this date is held on a separate finance ledger of a previous organisation. NHS BSA have provided earlier transaction information but it would not be possible to obtain supplier detail without disproportionate costs.

Health and Social Care Information Centre

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the Health and Social Care Information Centre using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Simon Burns: The following table shows the Health and Social Care Information Centre's Government Procurement Card transactions in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	
		
			 Financial year Statement date Details (£) 
			 2007-08 8 May 2007 Neopost Romford 1,030.00 
			 2007-08 8 May 2007 Jurys Hotel Bristol Conferences 1,607.50 
			 2007-08 10 June 2007 General Dental Council (CD Rom) 205.63 
			 2007-08 10 June 2007 The Business Design Ct London 74.03 
			 2007-08 10 June 2007 Wp Securit World Ltd 206.21 
			 2007-08 8 September 2007 Interest and Charges 32.24 
			 2007-08 8 September 2007 M&E Commerce 35.73 
			 2007-08 8 December 2007 Specsavers 425.00 
			 2007-08 8 December 2007 Verisign 1,056.33 
			 2007-08 8 December 2007 Stationery Office Books 78.75 
			 2007-08 8 December 2007 Stationery Office Books 18.10 
			 2007-08 8 December 2007 RS Live—Conference Fee 159.39 
			 2007-08 8 December 2007 Interest and Charges 32.39 
			 2007-08 8 November 2007 Interest and Charges 46.22 
			 2007-08 9 December 2007 Interest and Charges 36.62 
			 2007-08 9 December 2007 TV Licensing 135.50 
			 2007-08 9 December 2007 Royal stat 205.00 
			 2007-08 8 January 2008 Interest and Charges 31.60 
			 2007-08 8 January 2008 KWL Partnership Comp Software 200.59 
			 2007-08 10 February 2008 Hotels.Com Dublin 357.27 
			 2007-08 10 February 2008 Interest and Charges 9.47 
			 2007-08 9 March 2008 Interest and Charges 30.74 
			 2007-08 8 April 2008 Interest and Charges 0.56 
			 2008-09 8 May2008 www.mobilefun.co.uk 27.45 
			 2008-09 8May2008 Interest and Charges 0.57 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 8 June 2008 Royal Armouries Leeds—Conferences 2,552.55 
			 2008-09 8 June 2008 Interest and Charges 28.02 
			 2008-09 8 July 2008 Redcliffe Catering Birmingham 3,544.20 
			 2008-09 10 August 2008 Perform Inc Montreal 2,626.91 
			 2008-09 10 August 2008 Interest and Charges 103.04 
			 2008-09 8 September 2008 Interest and Charges. 30.26 
			 2008-09 8 September 2008 Brakes Catering 1,703.75 
			 2008-09 8 October 2008 Helford 2000 Ltd 1,291.33 
			 2008-09 8 October 2008 Interest and Charges 12.43 
			 2008-09 9 November 2008 Kaplan 1,116.25 
			 2008-09 9 November 2008 Marks and Spencer 1,237.49 
			 2008-09 9 November 2008 Interest and Charges 50.80 
			 2008-09 8 January 2009 Brakes Catering 504.08 
			 2008-09 8 January 2009 Refund -306.93 
			 2008-09 8 February 2009 Stationery Office Books 48.75 
			 2008-09 8 February 2009 Ahima Books 71.89 
			 2008-09 8 February 2009 Istock International 433.25 
			 2008-09 8 February 2009 Interest and Charges 27.51 
			 2008-09 8 March 2009 Interest and Charges 30.29 
			 2008-09 8 March 2009 Amazon 26.50 
			 2008-09 8 March 2009 CK Software 580.86 
			 2008-09 8 March 2009 Main Task Ltd 215.87 
			 2008-09 8 March 2009 CK Software 416.00 
			 2008-09 8 April 2009 Wp Securit World Ltd 355.44 
			 2008-09 8 April 2009 www.CIM.co.uk 24.50 
			 2008-09 8 April 2009 Hands on technology 2,119.27 
			 2009-10 10 May 2009 Interest and Charges 53.64 
			 2009-10 10 May 2009 Ramada Plaza Southport 600.00 
			 2009-10 10 May 2009 Amazon—ergonomic computer equipment 41.25 
			 2009-10 8 June 2009 Royal stat 780.00 
			 2009-10 8 June 2009 Dimension8 Ltd 93.15 
			 2009-10 8 June 2009 Vision UK 80.00 
			 2009-10 8 July 2009 Interest and Charges 70.31 
			 2009-10 8 July 2009 Stationery Office Books 31.00 
			 2009-10 8 July 2009 www.logmein.com 2,800.00 
			 2009-10 8 July 2009 Survey Monkey 780.00 
			 2009-10 8 July 2009 Brakes Catering 473.11 
			 2009-10 8 January 2010 Intercharge Communications 229.13 
			 2009-10 8 January 2010 Royal Mail 112.58 
			 2009-10 8 January 2010 Next 231.95 
			 2009-10 8 January 2010 Peyton and Byrne 1,292.50 
			 2009-10 8 January 2010 Amazon—computer equipment 47.20 
			 2009-10 8 January 2010 APM 959.00 
			 2009-10 8 March 2010 Adobe Systems Ltd 844.95 
			 2009-10 8 April 2010 Interest and Charges 37.60 
			 2009-10 8 April 2010 Amazon—computer equipment 26.80 
			 2009-10 8 April 2010 ACCA 138.00

Health: Free Schools

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on health standards in free schools.

Anne Milton: Both Departments are clear that the hallmark of all good schools is that they understand well the connections between pupils' physical and mental health, their safety, and their educational attainment.
	Health Ministers and Education Ministers have regular discussions about school matters in the course of their ministerial business, supported by regular discussions at official level.

Hospitals

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the provisions of ventilation machines and related equipment for patients diagnosed with muscle-wasting diseases who experience respiratory difficulties; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much the NHS spent on unplanned emergency hospital admissions for people diagnosed with neuromuscular conditions in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Information on the cost of unplanned emergency admissions to hospital for people with neuromuscular conditions is not collected centrally.
	Local health bodies have responsibility for ensuring adequate provision of ventilation machines and other health services is made available to those living with neuromuscular conditions.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of hospital-acquired infections for (a) foundation trusts and (b) acute trusts were in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally in the format requested.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier of each transaction undertaken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority using the Government Procurement Card was in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Anne Milton: The information requested for the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10 is available on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's website at:
	www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/GPC_Transactions_2008-09.pdf
	and
	www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/GPC_Transactions_09-10.pdf
	respectively.
	Information for the financial year 2007-08 is not published and the volume of documentation to be examined is substantial. However, I will write to the hon. Member when we have collated this information and place a copy in the Library.

Melanoma: Drugs

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will request the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to reconsider its recent decision not to recommend the use of Yervoy for patients with advanced melanoma; and if he will take steps to make provisions for the use of Yervoy by the NHS for such patients.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not yet published final guidance on the use of Yervoy (ipilimumab). for the treatment of' previously treated unresectable stage III or IV malignant melanoma. NICE is currently consulting on its draft recommendations. NICE is an independent body and it would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in an ongoing technology appraisal.
	In the absence of final NICE guidance on a drug, it is for local primary care trusts (PCTs) to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence.
	Where a cancer drug is not routinely funded by a PCT, patients may be able to access the drug through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

NHS: Foreign Nationals

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether US military personnel based in the UK make use of the national health service.

Simon Burns: US military personnel are able to make use of the national health service, although our understanding is that US forces primarily make use of private health care services.
	Generally, overseas visitors to the United Kingdom are chargeable for NHS hospital treatment unless an exemption applies to them under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011. There is an exemption for those who are serving with the armed forces of a country which is part of NATO when the necessary services cannot readily be provided by the armed forces of the overseas visitor’s own country or those of the UK. The spouse/civil partner and dependent children of such a person are also exempt in this way.

NHS: Inflation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the rate of inflation on the real terms increase in the NHS budget.

Simon Burns: The real terms increase in the national health service budget has a precise meaning. Real terms is measured against the gross domestic product (GDP) deflator. The GDP deflator is the general measure of price increases across the whole economy. It reflects the prices of all domestically produced goods and services in the economy. Real terms is the cash increase above the GDP deflator.
	Funding growth over the spending review period, using latest inflation forecasts, is about 1% real; a cash increase over the spending review period of £12.6 billion, as shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Total NHS expenditure, 2010-11 to 2014-15 
			   Total NHS expenditure (£ billion) GDP at 28 June 2011 (Percentage) 
			 2010-11 Out-turn 101.9 — 
			 2011-12 Plan 105.9 2.9 
			 2012-13 Plan 108.4 2.5 
			 2013-14 Plan 111.4 2.7 
			 2014-15 Plan 114.4 2.7

NHS: Managers

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to retain the role of national clinical directors in his Department; and in what way their role will change under his proposals for reform.

Simon Burns: Our planning assumption is that the Department will rely on the NHS Commissioning Board for senior clinical advice and leadership of the kind currently provided by those fulfilling the role of national clinical director, except where there is potential for conflicts of interest to arise when wider consultation might be necessary. No decisions have yet been taken about whether roles and titles will change under new arrangements. Those will be decisions for the NHS Commissioning Board.

NHS: Per Capita Costs

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS spending per head of population in (a) England, (b) Kent and (c) Dartford constituency was in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The amount spent per capita in total in England by all primary care trusts (PCTs) and by Kent PCTs, in each of the last five years, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Organisation 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 West Kent PCT 1,158 1,256 1,362 1,476 1,528 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 1,269 1,400 1,500 1,646 1,724 
			 All England 1,315 1,428 1,499 1,650 1,716 
		
	
	Data in respect of expenditure per capita in Dartford is not held centrally.

Obesity: Costs

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost to the NHS in London was of obesity-related illness in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: This information is not centrally held. My hon. Friend may wish to contact NHS London for further information.

Obesity: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS in Kent was of obesity-related illness in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			 Count of finished consultant episodes in which there was a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity by primary care trust (PCT) in Kent, 2009-10 
			 PCT Total episodes 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 1,532 
			 Medway PCT 698 
			 West Kent PCT 1,285 
			 Notes: 1. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) does not hold data relating to costs and only holds obesity data for in-patient care in hospitals. Obesity-related care in a primary care setting is not included in these figures. 2. A count of finished consultant episodes is not the same as the number of patients; a person may have more than one episode of care in a given period. 3. Activity includes activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. 4. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. 5. Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis: the number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03), primary and secondary diagnosis fields in an HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code used to identify obesity is E66. 6. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Postnatal Depression

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on appropriate treatments for postnatal depression.

Paul Burstow: We have had no such discussions with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	NICE announced in July 2011 that it intends to carry out a routine review of its existing clinical guideline on antenatal and postnatal mental health.
	NICE is an independent body. Its guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed free from political interference.

Postnatal Depression

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Patients' Association on the adequacy of treatment for women with postnatal depression;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Mental Health Alliance on appropriate treatments for postnatal depression.

Anne Milton: We have had no such discussion with the Patient's Association and the Mental Health Alliance.

CABINET OFFICE

Central Office of Information

Alun Michael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he plans to take to ensure that Government marketing and communications are free from (a) political and (b) departmental bias following the proposed closure of the Central Office of Information.

Francis Maude: The closure of COI is part of a package of measures to reform the organisation of Government communications in order to further improve its effectiveness and efficiency. The reforms are designed to increase cross-Government collective responsibility for government communications, thereby avoiding any possible departmental bias. A Communications Delivery Board has been established, which will oversee an annual planning cycle covering all planned direct communications, enabling identification and elimination of wasteful spend.

Central Office of Information

Alun Michael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what research into (a) the Central Office of Information and (b) the Government's direct communication strategy his Department has commissioned since March 2011; and what organisations his Department consulted in producing the Government's response to the Tee review.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has not commissioned any paid for research into COI or the Government's direct communications strategy since March 2011.
	The Government's response to the Tee review drew objectively on the available evidence and material from the original review as well as additional fresh evidence and analysis, and extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders. The review had input from the COI Board, and was overseen by Sir Gus O'Donnell and the COI accounting officer Ian Watmore.

Charity Commission: Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Charity Commission using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08 , (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
	Letter from Sam Younger, dated 24 October 2011
	I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Charity Commission using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.
	The Charity Commission has policies in place for the use of Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) and actively monitors compliance with these procedures.
	We hold detailed transaction information showing the date, amount and supplier for December 2009 onwards. Prior to this, the information was not available electronically and it would require significant manual intervention to collate the data in the format requested from the individual paper records.
	The total amount spent on GPC transactions during the period requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 670,924.31 
			 2008-09 971,499.02 
			 2009-10 858,771.37 
		
	
	There were no level three transactions during this period. Details of transactions made using a GPC for which data is available (December 2009 onwards) have been placed in the Library.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Cybercrime

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of occasions on which Government computers have been the target of (a) unsuccessful and (b) successful cyber attacks; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had on cyber security with suppliers of cyber services; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: This Government have recognised the real and increasing risk to the UK's national security from cyber attack. The National Security Council has assessed cyber security as a Tier 1 threat in the National Security Strategy published on 18 October 2010, Official Report, column 48WS.
	The Government take the issue of cyber security very seriously and has allocated £650 million over four years for a new National Cyber Security Programme. These funds are allocated to Departments and agencies across Whitehall to enhance the UK's capability to protect itself in cyberspace.
	All Ministers disclose details of meetings with external representatives and this information is published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website. Meetings for April-June period will be published on the website shortly.
	It would not be in the interests of national security to disclose the number of attacks on government systems and whether or not those attacks were successful as this could undermine the integrity of those systems and thereby expose them to further threats.

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office Ministers remain committed to participating in the One Day Challenge. Details of related activities will be disclosed by the end of the year.

IRG Ltd

Peter Hain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Report by the Cabinet Secretary on allegations against the former Secretary of State for Defence, which organisation IRG Ltd refers to.

Francis Maude: I understand that IRG Ltd refers to the Iraq Research Group Ltd.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many special advisers were employed by each central Government department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Government publishes, on a quarterly basis, details of special advisers and their cost. The most recent information was published on 19 July 2011 and is available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
	Numbers and cost of special advisers under the previous administration were published on an annual basis and are also available in the Library of the House.
	The most recent information published on 19 July 2011 shows a total of 74 special advisers in post. The paybill for the period 13 May 2010—31 March 2011 was £4.5 million. This compares to 78 special advisers in post at the end of March 2010 with a cost of £6.8 million for the year 2009-10.

Private Rented Housing: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people live in privately-rented accommodation in Liverpool; and what proportion of such people are (a) in full-time work, (b) unemployed, (c) aged 16 to 34 years, (d) ethnic minorities, (e) single people and (f) living in a household of more than three people.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what estimate has been made of the number of people living in privately-rented accommodation in Liverpool, and what proportion of these people are (a) in full-time work, (b) unemployed, (c) aged 16 to 34 years, (d) ethnic minorities, (e) single people, and (f) living in households with more than 3 people. (76747).
	The requested estimates are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) person and household datasets. The latest available data are for January to December 2010. The estimates are provided in the table. These estimates are for all people aged 16 and over living in privately-rented accommodation in Liverpool, and therefore exclude children aged under 16. The estimate for ‘ethnic minorities’ include those who classified themselves as mixed, Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Chinese, or other. The estimate for ‘single people’ refers to those living in one-person households.
	
		
			  Number/percentage 
			 Number of people(1) living in privately-rented accommodation in Liverpool:  
			 Privately-rented accommodation (thousand) 69 
			   
			 Of the people aged 16 and above living in privately-rented accommodation in Liverpool:  
			 In full-time employment (percentage) 35.0 
			 Unemployed(2) (percentage) 12.9 
			 Aged 16 to 34 (percentage) 67.4 
			 In ethnic minorities(3) (percentage) 13.5 
			 Single people(4) (percentage) 23.9 
			 Living in households with more than three people(5) (percentage) 17.5 
			 (1) People aged 16 and above, excluding children aged under 16. (2) Note that unemployed proportion is not the same as unemployment rate, as the unemployment rate does not include inactive people or people under 16 in the denominator in its calculation. (3) Ethnic minorities include those who classified themselves as mixed, Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Chinese or other. (4) ‘Single people’ are those living in one-person households. (5) Households where everyone is aged 16 and above. Source: APS person and household datasets.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Leader of the House what volunteering (a) he and (b) the Deputy Leader of the House have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

George Young: The Deputy Leader of the House, my hon. Friend the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath), and I attend regular events in support of charities and voluntary organisations in our roles as constituency Members of Parliament. We are also committed to participating in the One Day Challenge and will disclose details of related activities in due course.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Absent Voting

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the deadline by which applications for postal votes must be made.

Mark Harper: The Political and Constitutional Reform (PCR) Committee is scrutinising draft Government legislation which would extend the timetable for UK parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 working days. In the context of this proposal, I wrote to the Committee suggesting that it would be helpful to welcome views as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process on whether the existing deadline for postal vote applications (which is currently 11 days before polling day) should be moved further in advance of the date of the poll. The Government will consider any recommendations made by the PCR Committee carefully, although we would be reluctant to erode the flexibility for electors which the current deadline offers.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations (i) he and (ii) his senior officials have spoken in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Clegg: Since May 2010 to date, I have spoken at 20 events which have been organised by charities, civil society groups and businesses. Senior officials in my private office have not spoken at any such events. Details of my speaking events are as follows:
	2010
	June: one (charity)
	November: two (civil society groups)
	2011
	January: one (civil society group)
	February: one (business)
	March: one (business)
	May: three (charities), one (civil society group) and two (businesses)
	June: one (civil society group)
	July: one (charity)
	August: one (civil society group)
	October: three (businesses) and two (charities).

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what volunteering he undertook as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Nicholas Clegg: I, along with my ministerial colleagues, have pledged to undertake the One Day Challenge to give time to help others. I will undertake this challenge early in the new year.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation his Department has undertaken with electoral registration officers on the implementation of individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The Cabinet Office has consulted widely on its proposals for individual electoral registration. All chief executives of local authorities with responsibility for electoral registration and their electoral administrators were informed when the consultation was published. Direct consultation with electoral registration officers has continued through the SOLACE Elections Panel. We have also consulted very extensively with electoral administrators across Great Britain throughout the consultation period, with a series of briefing events and presentations to regional branch meetings of the Association of Electoral Administrators.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from electoral registration officers on the (a) time and (b) resources required to implement the legislative proposals on changes to electoral administration.

Mark Harper: No direct representations have been received from electoral registration officers on the time and resources which will be required to implement the draft electoral administration provisions which were published for pre-legislative scrutiny alongside the draft individual electoral registration provisions. However, we have established and will continue to maintain dialogue with the Electoral Commission and Association of Electoral Administrators on the best way to implement our proposals.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in funding for local government on the ability of electoral registration departments to implement individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The Government are working with electoral registration officers and with electoral administrators to ensure that they have the capacity to implement individual electoral registration properly. The Government are committed to funding the move to individual electoral registration centrally. The White Paper published on the 30 June 2011 estimated the costs of this move as £108 million. This is being funded as part of the Cabinet Office's spending review settlement.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much additional funding he estimates will be required for the introduction of individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The Individual Electoral Registration White Paper published on the 30 June 2011 estimated the costs of the move to individual registration as £108 million. This is being funded as part of the Cabinet Office's spending review settlement.
	We have dropped the previous Government's plans for a voluntary phase leading up to the introduction of individual electoral registration, saving £74 million.

Electoral Register

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the Electoral Commission's recommendations in respect of individual electoral registration; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government's consultation on the Individual Electoral Registration White Paper closed on 14 October 2011. The Electoral Commission provided a detailed response to the Government's proposals on 14 October. The Government will set out their response to the consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny in due course, once these have been given proper consideration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to make the draft secondary legislation on individual voter registration available while any proposals for changes to relevant primary legislation are considered by Parliament.

Mark Harper: The Government will set out their intentions for the legislation to implement the move to individual electoral registration when they respond to the consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether lessons learnt from the data-sharing pilots for electoral registration will be taken into account in his plans for individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The lessons learnt from the pilots and the evaluation of them by the Electoral Commission, the Cabinet Office and the participating local authorities will all be taken into account.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to publish an implementation plan for individual voter registration; and whether this will take place at the same time as the introduction of legislation on individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The Government will set out their intentions for the implementation of individual electoral registration when they respond to the consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) plans and (b) funding is in place to disseminate public information on the implementation of individual voter registration (i) locally and (ii) nationally.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Commission has a statutory responsibility to promote public awareness of electoral systems. As part of this, the Commission runs public awareness campaigns to educate electors on how to register to vote. We are working with the Commission on the plans for public awareness activity to inform the public of the move to Individual Electoral Registration. The funding for this has not yet been finalised.
	The Government will strongly encourage everyone to register to vote under the new system.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in developing well-designed and accessible electoral registration forms; and whether such forms will be developed and tested with the input from (a) electoral administrators and (b) software and print suppliers.

Mark Harper: The design requirements for electoral registration forms are set out in the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, and Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 and equivalent provisions for Scotland.
	Under Government proposals for individual electoral registration published for consultation in June, the Electoral Commission will determine the forms to be used for electoral registration. Once we have considered the responses to the consultation we are committed to working with the Electoral Commission and a range of interested parties, including electoral administrators and software suppliers to test the accessibility of registration forms.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to ensure that sufficient training for (a) electoral registration officers and (b) electoral administrators is in place before the introduction of individual voter registration; and if he will set out a timeline for the implementation of such training.

Mark Harper: The Cabinet Office will set out its plans in light of the response to the consultation on the Government's proposals for individual electoral registration published in June.

Lobbying

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he proposes to publish his plans for a statutory register of lobbyists.

Mark Harper: The coalition agreement made clear that we will regulate lobbying through introducing a statutory register of lobbyists and ensuring greater transparency.
	We remain committed to creating a statutory register of lobbyists and will publish a consultation paper next month.

Lobbying: Registration

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to publish his proposals to establish a statutory register of lobbying activity.

Mark Harper: The Coalition agreement made clear that we will regulate lobbying through introducing a statutory register of lobbyists and ensuring greater transparency.
	We remain committed to creating a statutory register of lobbyists and will publish a consultation paper next month.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Agriculture: Education

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students studied at agricultural colleges in the academic year 2010-11; and how many such students went on to a career in the agricultural sector.

John Hayes: There were 55,020 government-funded learners participating in further education at agriculture and horticulture colleges in England for 2009/10, the latest academic year for which final data are available. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Further education covers participation in learner responsive, apprenticeships, workplace learning, adult safeguarded learning and university for industry provision.
	Information is not available on the number of these learners who went on to a career in the agricultural sector.

Apprentices

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) apprenticeship vacancies there were and (b) people were seeking an apprenticeship on (i) 1 September and (ii) 1 October 2011.

John Hayes: The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) apprenticeship vacancies online system shows that there were 7,950 live apprenticeship vacancies on 2 September 2011(1), and 6,190 live apprenticeship vacancies on 1 October 2011.
	The apprenticeships vacancies system does not provide a measure of the number of people seeking an apprenticeship at any given time. In the first two months (August and September) of the 2011-12 academic year 88,730 candidates activated an account on the system, enabling them to make applications for advertised vacancies. This total does not include individuals who activated accounts in previous quarters but are still seeking an apprenticeship.
	A vacancy can be advertised on both the apprenticeship vacancy online system and also via an employer's own website.
	It is not possible to record those applications which have gone directly to the employer, therefore the applications only relate to the vacancies advertised through the apprenticeship vacancies online system.
	Apprenticeship vacancy online reports are updated on a monthly basis and published by the Data Service on the fourth day of each calendar month at the following link:
	http://mireportslibrary.thedataservice.org.uk/apprenticeships/apprenticeship_vacancy_reports/
	(1) Vacancy figures were not available for 1 September so the next possible date was used.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any Ministers plan to participate in the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Sector Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia in November 2011; which companies will be taking part; and what the cost to the public purse of the mission will be.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) plans to support the overseas trade mission to Saudi Arabia in November which is being arranged by the UK Aerospace, Defence and Security Trade Association (A|D|S). A number of UK defence and security companies have expressed their interest in attending to A|D|S. No involvement of a UK Government Minister is currently planned. The costs of UKTI DSO assistance for the event are expected to be offset by income from industry.

Business: Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have had discussions on customer complaints with representatives of banks and other big businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers' and officials have meetings with a variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. When we receive complaints from customers, these are passed to the relevant agency where appropriate, and are fed into the wider process of policy development and delivery.
	Customers who are unable to resolve their individual complaints with their bank or other business concerned are advised to contact: in the case of banks, the Money Advice Service or Financial Ombudsman Service; or in the case of other businesses, Consumer Direct who may refer complaints to other sector ombudsmen for potential redress.

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to bring forward proposals to provide design the same legal protection as copyright.

Edward Davey: The Government broadly accepted the recommendations of the Hargreaves review of intellectual property and growth, in particular, that policy should be evidence based. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a ‘call for Evidence’ on design intellectual property (IP), which, together with an online survey, will help us identify changes to the designs IP framework that users of the system think are now needed.

Departmental Data Protection

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any (a) personnel and (b) organisations who are not employees of his Department are provided with a copy of (i) his own and (ii) other Ministers' diary; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Most Business Innovation and Skills Ministers ask their offices to send copies of their diaries to their partners, parliamentary and constituency offices where appropriate, and in one case, their book-keeper but to no-one else who is not an employee of the Department.

Departmental Meetings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings he has had with representatives of (a) social enterprises, (b) charities, (c) large private sector businesses and (d) small and medium-sized private sector businesses since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: All my meetings are now published quarterly on the Department's website which you can access using the following hyperlink:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff

Departmental Publications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking in respect of its report, Infrastructure supply chains: barriers and opportunities.

Mark Prisk: There are a number of areas where my Department is addressing issues raised in the Infrastructure supply chains report, in particular:
	by co-funding and supporting the Government Chief Construction Adviser and the Government Construction Strategy on public procurement which, among other things, will provide improved transparency and predictability of work load;
	on investment issues through the Green Investment Bank which will begin investing in green infrastructure in 2012 and by supporting a number of infrastructure supply chain projects in Round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund;
	on ensuring ports are ready to respond to opportunities in offshore wind by working with Department for Transport and Department for Energy and Climate Change to attract further investment into port infrastructure;
	on difficulties in getting technological innovations ready for market stage by co-funding with six industrial members (BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell) the Energy Technologies Institute who focus on delivering large scale low carbon energy technology demonstration projects; and
	on addressing issues of simplification, reducing bureaucracy and increasing flexibility around SME's experience of the apprenticeship programme where BIS have ensured the Skills Growth Review has focused on the 'end to end' engagement of SMEs in apprenticeships.
	The report's findings have also been made available as evidence to inform the Government's priorities for the Infrastructure Growth Review and the process to update the National Infrastructure Plan, both of which are led by Infrastructure UK.

Departmental Secondment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants in his Department at (a) director general and (b) director level have undertaken secondments to industry in the last 18 months.

Edward Davey: BIS was created in June 2009 following the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. In July 2011 BIS completed the final phase of a major departmental restructuring.
	BIS has formal and informal programmes which foster links with industry. For example staff working on Enterprise spend a week in a small business each year. In addition BIS has recently launched an outreach programme where staff spend at least one to two days with other organisations to learn about how they operate and the challenges they face. This includes visits to industry. Three director generals and six directors have undertaken recent visits and 150 others staff members have undertaken visits or plans to do so.
	UK Trade and Investment, a joint organisation of BIS and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), works very closely with business both in the UK and overseas. The new chief executive spent several weeks, before taking up post, meeting many companies, large and small. Directors in UKTI meet and work alongside both UK and overseas companies very regularly. UKTI staff are able to spend time—the usual is up to a week—with a company.
	In the last 18 months no director generals or directors have undertaken lengthy formal secondments to industry.

Departmental Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Government take cyber security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier one threat to UK national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security Programme, working across Departments, with the private sector, international partners and citizens to improve the UK's cyber security capability.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its ICT systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the Government standards set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF); these standards are aligned with industry best practice approaches.
	It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual Departments as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.

Education: Prisons

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many prisoners are enrolled on Open University courses.

John Hayes: Data from the Open University indicates that, at 17 October 2011, 1,273 offenders held in prisons in England were enrolled on a course with the Open University.

European Fighter Aircraft

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether his Department undertook an impact assessment on the likely effects on (a) employment and (b) the economy of a slow-down in orders for tranche 3A of Eurofighter; and when any such assessment was made;
	(2)  whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department discussed a slow-down in orders for tranche 3A of Eurofighter with (i) representatives of BAE systems and (ii) representatives of staff at BAE systems; and when any such discussions took place.

Mark Prisk: The decision to slow down orders for Tranche 3A of the Eurofighter Typhoon was taken by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as it falls within MOD's delegated authority and was not subject to an impact assessment by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Ministers and officials from BIS did not discuss the slow down in orders for tranche 3A of the Eurofighter with representatives of BAE Systems or representatives of staff at BAE Systems. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), met the BAE Systems Brough Trade Union Parliamentary Committee on 30 June. The discussions covered a number of issues but not the slow down in orders for Tranche 3A.

Exports: Brazil

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of potential future trends in UK exports to Brazil in (a) the oil and gas sector, (b) biotechnology, (c) pharmaceuticals, (d) creative industries, (e) renewables industries, (f) automotives and (g) chemicals sectors; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: This year the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the Government's target is to double UK exports to Brazil by 2015. UK exports in goods and services over the four year period 2007-10 increased by 91%. We assess there is significant potential for sustainable growth in the sectors listed, and opportunities for UK companies to benefit from that growth. These sectors have all been identified as priorities for UK companies.

Green Deal

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many discussions officials in his Department have had with small businesses interested in becoming Green Deal providers since 14 September 2011.

Mark Prisk: Officials in the Department meet with businesses on a regular basis about a wide range of issues. The Government's Chief Construction Adviser and officials have met with a number of bodies representing the interests of small businesses in construction since 14 September 2011. These include the National Specialist Contractors Council, the Federation of Master Builders, the National Federation of Builders, the National Insulation Association, the Insulated Render and Cladding Association, the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes and Trustmark. The Green Deal formed at least part of the discussions in these meetings. The Chief Construction Adviser also chairs the Green Deal Capacity and Innovation Forum, which is one of the Green Deal Government/Industry stakeholder fora.

Higher Education Funding Council

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) postgraduate research masters, (b) postgraduate taught masters and (c) PhDs the Higher Education Funding Council funded in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many it will fund in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) provides funding to higher education institutions (HEIs) in England. This funding meets some of the costs incurred by HEIs of teaching students on taught postgraduate courses and of supervising students in the first three years of a postgraduate research degree programme. The funding is allocated to institutions by reference to the numbers of eligible home and EU students enrolled at those institutions and identified in the most recent statistical returns. Allocations for 2010-11 and 2011-12 were based on the following data:
	
		
			 Full-time equivalent students 2010-11 2011-12 
			 On taught postgraduate programmes 80,908 81,518 
		
	
	
		
			 On research degree programmes, which includes both research masters and PhD students 39,654 42,686 
		
	
	HEFCE protected provision for research degree programme supervision costs in research allocations for 2011-12 at £205 million p.a., maintaining it at same cash levels as 2010-11. HEFCE allocation in relation to taught postgraduate provision was £117.6 million in 2010-11, and £112 million in 2011-12.
	Allocations are calculated by reference to actual student number data from previous years, rather than projections of student numbers. Data on future student numbers are not available.

Higher Education: Admissions

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the higher education cohort entered higher education using vocational qualifications in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Information on the highest qualification held on entry to higher education is shown in the table, for young (aged under 21 on entry) English-domiciled undergraduate entrants to UK higher education institutions, in the academic years 2007/08 to 2009/10. However, these qualifications may not necessarily be the ones on which successful admission to the institution was based; a student whose highest qualification on entry is not vocational may additionally hold a vocational qualification at a lower level, and vice versa. Information for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
	
		
			 Young (aged under 21 on entry) English-domiciled undergraduate entrants  (1)   by highest qualification on entry UK Higher education institutions. Academic years 2007/08 to 2009/10 
			 Highest qualification on entry 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) level 5 60 40 35 
			 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 5 25 20 25 
			 Higher National Diploma/Certificate (including BTEC equivalents) 4,230 4,300 3,905 
			 GNVQ level 4 100 85 40 
			 NVQ level 4 65 80 95 
			 GNVQ level 3 245 600 435 
			 NVQ/level 3 380 915 1,390 
			 Ordinary National Diploma/Certificate (including BTEC equivalents) 14,795 16,485 20,840 
			 NVQ level 2 140 290 440 
			 Advanced Modern Apprenticeships 25 20 20 
			 Total vocational only 20,060 22,835 27,225 
			     
			 Higher degree of UK institution 135 65 55 
			 Postgraduate diploma or certificate, excluding PGCE 50 95 95 
			 Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) with QTS/GTC Registration 35 30 15 
			 PGCE without QTS/GTC Registration 10 15 10 
			 Postgraduate equivalent qualification 10 50 25 
			 Undergraduate qualifications with QTS 60 75 40 
			 First degree of UK institution 460 445 330 
			 Graduate of European Union institution 45 30 30 
			 Graduate of other overseas institution 75 50 60 
			 Graduate equivalent qualification 35 20 30 
			 Open University credit 40 50 100 
			 Other credits from UK institution 655 700 730 
			 Certificate or diploma of education 1,085 1,275 1,105 
			 Diploma in Higher Education (HE) 500 670 835 
			 Professional qualifications 195 175 290 
			 Foundation course at HE level 930 935 815 
		
	
	
		
			 Other HE qualification of less than degree standard 470 500 655 
			 Foundation Degree 1,120 1,765 2,050 
			 A-level equivalent qualification 15,510 22,635 28,010 
			 Any combinations of GCE A-level GNVQ or NVQ 197,795 205,040 206,215 
			 Foundation course at further education level 2,010 1,370 1,510 
			 Access course—Quality Assurance Agency recognised (QAA) 1,035 1,220 1,310 
			 Access course (not QAA recognised) 410 485 455 
			 Baccalaureate 1,855 2,055 2,505 
			 GCSE/O-level qualifications only 7,240 8,340 8,235 
			 Other non-advanced qualification 1,245 1,445 975 
			 Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design) 1,665 2,060 2,295 
			 Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning 20 30 50 
			 Other non-UK qualification, level not known 2,080 1,795 1,370 
			 Student has no formal qualification 910 1,285 1,070 
			 Total other 237,675 254,685 261,270 
			     
			 Total with known highest qualification on entry 257,735 277,520 288,500 
			 Percentage vocational only 7.8 8.2 9.4 
			 (1) Covers entrants to full-time and part-time courses. Notes: 1. Figures are on a Standard Registration Population (SRP) basis. 2. Figures in this table are rounded up or down to the nearest live, so components may not sum to totals. 3. Percentages are based on unrounded figures are given to one decimal place. Key: BTEC: Business and Technician Education Council QTS: Qualified Teacher Status GTC: General Teaching Council GCE: General Certificate of Education GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Job Creation

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what multiplier factor his Department recommends using on direct job numbers to estimate the number of jobs being created in the supply chain.

Mark Prisk: There is no single recommended multiplier factor used by the Department. This is because in analysing the impact of an intervention on the number of supply chain jobs created or safeguarded, proper account needs to be taken of deadweight, displacement, substitution and leakage effects in accordance with UK Government appraisal guidance “The Green Book”. The multiplier factor used will also reflect the sectoral and geographical scope of the intervention and whether we are considering the short or long-term effects of Government action.

Literacy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to increase adult literacy.

John Hayes: The Government are continuing to fund literacy courses for adults who lack basic literacy skills, so that that they can get the skills they need to function in society, progress onto further training and employment, and to operate more productively in work.
	Following the publication of “Skills for Sustainable Growth”, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is undertaking a review of literacy and numeracy provision for adults in order to improve economic and personal returns through making this provision more effective.

Literacy: Prisoners

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of rates of illiteracy in prison.

John Hayes: Level 1 literacy skills may be regarded as the threshold level needed for life and work, though opinion differs on the definitive character of literacy. Individual level data is not collected centrally that would allow analysis of prisoners’ prior achievement.
	However, the Skills Funding Agency collects data on the learning aims for which prisoners enrol. Data provided by the Skills Funding Agency from individual learner records (ILR) for the academic year 2009/10 show that prisoners enrolled for 28,400 qualifications, courses and learning events with a literacy aim at Level 1 or below. These literacy aims were part of a total of 341,221 learning aims for which prisoners enrolled across public sector prisons and young offenders' institutions in England.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: West Midlands

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding has been made available from the public purse to the Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership since it was created.

Mark Prisk: Local Enterprise Partnerships can apply to Government funding to support their development through the Department's Capacity and Start-up Funds. They can also apply for funding to support specific programmes or projects, for example, the Regional Growth Fund or through the Technology Strategy Board. Partnerships can also access European funding streams or may receive financial support from local authorities.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: West Midlands

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of effects on jobs in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency of the creation of the Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.

Mark Prisk: Since the creation of the Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership no assessment has been made of the partnership's effect on jobs in the Ladywood constituency of Birmingham. It is for local enterprise partnerships to both decide their priorities and assess the effectiveness of their interventions.

Pancreatic Cancer: Research

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of (a) medical and (b) cancer research funding was allocated to pancreatic cancer research in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) does not hold details of expenditure on research directly relating to pancreatic cancer. It would not be possible to undertake the necessary analysis in the time available.
	In 2010 the MRC spent £107.9 million on cancer and research relevant to cancer. This includes a broad portfolio of both site-specific and general cancer research, some of which will be relevant to pancreatic cancer. It is often the case that research which has been classified as being undertaken in one site may also have implications in another such as pancreatic cancer.
	Current MRC investments in the area include funding for the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, a joint strategic investment between MRC, Cancer Research UK and Oxford university aimed at yielding new advances in radiation treatment of patients with cancer, including studies specifically on pancreatic cancer. The MRC's Cancer Cell Unit is also carrying out work in the area of pancreatic cancer.
	The MRC provides funding for research through a range of grants and personal awards to scientists in universities, medical schools and other research institutes and welcomes investigator-initiated research proposals in all areas of research. The MRC's primary considerations in funding decisions are research excellence and importance to health; however, high quality proposals in areas of particular strategic importance may be given priority in competition for funds.
	Further details on research programmes that have received funding from the MRC can be found at:
	http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm
	The Department of Health spent £91 million on cancer research in 2009-10. Total expenditure on pancreatic cancer research cannot be disaggregated from this figure. The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer.
	In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR biomedical research centres and units, including £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden/Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre.

Regional Development Agencies

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the assets and intellectual property of regional development agencies are not inappropriately gifted or transferred to (a) former employees of the agencies in the private or third sector and (b) private or third sector organisations.

Mark Prisk: Regional development agency (RDA) assets are being disposed of in accordance with the terms of “Managing Public Money” and the RDA “Accountability and Financial Control Framework”.

Royal Academy of Engineering: Publications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking in response to the report, Business motivations for engaging the public in science and engineering by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

David Willetts: Public engagement with science and engineering is vital if the UK is to realise the full potential of its significant investments in science and research. We must inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. We must also ensure that members of the public have confidence in research being carried out and that researchers are able to listen and respond to the aspirations and concerns the public have. BIS and the Royal Academy of Engineering jointly commissioned the Business motivations for engaging the public in science and engineering report. As the report makes clear, businesses are already an important contributor to the spectrum of science and engineering engagement activities, particularly when it comes to inspiring the next generation. Together with businesses themselves, BIS will consider over the coming months where businesses could add value through involvement in other activities.

Science: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department provides additional funding to reflect the additional capital cost associated with science, technology, engineering and maths courses.

David Willetts: holding answer 20 October 2011
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) provides Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with Teaching and Learning Capital Investment Funding. HEFCE are responsible for making decisions about how this funding is managed. They apply formulae which recognise the costs of different courses by price group weightings and include some targeted allocations. This calculation reflects the additional costs of some science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) courses.
	HEFCE also provides research capital to HEIs, part of which includes weighting for high cost science based disciplines.
	The formulae used for calculating distribution of the Capital Investment Fund are contained in the HEFCE funding guide: 2011/08 Capital Investment Fund 2: Capital allocations for learning and teaching 2012-13; capital allocations for research 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Science: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

David Willetts: holding answer 20 October 2011
	The Department funds a number of programmes which encourage all young people to understand the excitement and importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in their lives, and to encourage school pupils to study these disciplines at university, and to make appropriate choices at each stage in their educational careers. These programmes include STEMNET and its 27,000 strong cohort of STEM ambassadors, the Big Bang Fair, the National Science and Engineering Competition and National Science and Engineering Week. In addition, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills partners, including the National Academies and the Research Councils, deliver a range of educational outreach activities directly aimed at school-aged students.
	STEM generally—and those STEM subjects with are strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVs) in particular—remain a priority for university teaching grant. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), in freeing up student number controls, is taking steps to ensure that provision of, and support for, subjects classified as (SIVs) is not disadvantaged.
	The Higher Education white paper also outlined a strategy for improving the information published by universities. Universities have been asked to do more to explain the benefits of studying different subjects so that potential students can make informed choices about what to study. STEM skills are vital to businesses, health and research, and we want to ensure that students are more aware of the value of undertaking these courses at university.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  which trade missions the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation plans to undertake up to the end of 2012;
	(2)  which military and security exhibitions staff of the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) will be attending up to 30 June 2012; and whether UKTI DSO will be exhibiting in each case.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Overseas trade missions in support of UK defence and security exports planned by UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) to the end of financial year 2011/12 are listed in the following table:
	
		
			 Month and year Country 
			 October 2011 Brazil 
			 October 2011 Canada 
			 October 2011 Japan 
			 October 2011 Mexico 
			 November 2011 Saudi Arabia 
			 November 2011 Serbia 
			 December 2011 Spain 
			 February 2012 Belgium 
			 February 2012 Brazil 
			 February 2012 Colombia 
			 February 2012 India 
			 February 2012 Kazakhstan 
			 February 2012 Libya 
			 February 2012 Mexico 
			 February 2012 Nigeria 
			 February 2012 Turkey 
			 March 2012 Italy 
			 March 2012 Qatar 
			 March 2012 Saudi Arabia 
			 March 2012 USA 
			 March 2012 Vietnam 
		
	
	Exhibitions to the end of financial year 2011/12 at which UKTI DSO plans to have a stand are shown in the following table. Members of UKTI DSO may attend other exhibitions at short notice.
	
		
			 Month and year Country Exhibition 
			 November 2011 Bulgaria PSE 
			 November 2011 Dubai Dubai Airshow 
			 November 2011 Saudi Arabia IFSEC 
			 December 2011 Malaysia LIMA 
			 December 2011 India IFSEC 
			 December 2011 Kuwait GDA Kuwait 
			 January 2012 UAE (Dubai) Intersec 
			 January 2012 UK Security and Policing 
			 February 2012 Singapore Singapore Air Show 
			 February 2012 Australia Pacific Australia 
			 March 2012 Chile FIDAE 
			 March 2012 Qatar DIMDEX 
			 March-April 2012 India DEFEXPO